The Wasp — 1894 — page 109: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

The main cartoon satirizes Victorian gender confusion, likely prompted by the "New Woman" movement of the late 1800s. It depicts cyclists—a relatively new activity for women—as blurring traditional gender roles. The caption references "Aunt Jane" introducing herself to "Pricey society" and creates confusion about which figure is male or female ("Lan' sakes, Lem, which is the mister and which the missus?"). The satire mocks anxieties about women's increasing independence and public visibility. Cycling represented unprecedented female mobility and was controversial among those who saw it as unfeminine. The page is otherwise advertisements for champagne, hats, tailoring, and other goods—typical of period magazine formatting.