The Wasp — 1895 — page 848: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

The main cartoon shows **Alex Forsythe**, a cyclist/athlete caricatured on a bicycle. The accompanying text indicates Forsythe was associated with the Olympic Club and created excitement among "bloomer girls and arouses a storm of excitement" — referring to women wearing the then-controversial bloomers (athletic wear). The page contains various literary and social satire sections, including Shakespearean quotations repurposed for contemporary commentary and sketches mocking middle-class social pretensions. The cartoon of two men ("The Proper Thing") appears to satirize social etiquette around courtship and marriage customs. Overall, the page reflects late-19th/early-20th-century satire targeting emerging women's athletic culture, social climbing, and Victorian courtship rituals — subjects that generated significant public debate during this era.