The Wasp — 1895 — page 920: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This page contains a satirical poem titled "Towser Got the Best of It" about a woman cyclist named Ina who rides through town on her bicycle. The poem mocks her aggressive riding style—she frightens pedestrians and causes a bulldog to lose its grip while chasing her. The satire appears to target the "New Woman" of the 1890s: independent, athletic females who challenged Victorian norms by cycling unaccompanied through public streets. The right side features a profile portrait of Charles Dickman, identified as a celebrated local water-color artist, plus brief gossip items about San Francisco society figures. The poem's humor relies on period anxieties about female autonomy and the bicycle as a symbol of women's liberation.