The Wasp — 1895 — page 684: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

The main cartoon depicts "The President of the Press Club" on a bicycle, labeled "Converts of the Wheel." The accompanying verse mocks a cyclist who crashes repeatedly despite thinking himself skilled—a reference to the bicycle craze of the 1890s, when cycling was fashionable among urban elites but often resulted in accidents. The page also contains humorous dialogues satirizing social conventions: "Shakespeare Up to Date" mocks modern fashion (women's skirts), while "The Climax Not Reached" ridicules domestic disputes and courtroom testimony about marital violence. "Just the Right Size" jokes about portrait commissions, and "An Efficacious Remedy" advertises a patent medicine. Overall, the page satirizes 1890s urban life—fashionable trends, legal absurdities, and dubious commercial products—through caricature and wit.