The Wasp — 1894 — page 29: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This satirical cartoon depicts a bicycle accident scene. A woman has crashed her bicycle and fallen to the ground, while two men in cowboy hats stand nearby. The caption records dialogue mocking her mishap: one man calls her "a header," while the other blames her for hitting her own head. The joke targets late-19th/early-20th-century attitudes toward women cyclists. At this era, bicycling was controversial—women riding bikes faced ridicule for being unladylike and "unsafe." This cartoon perpetuates that sexist stereotype, suggesting women are inherently incompetent cyclists. The rural setting and male bystanders' dismissive comments emphasize how women's mobility and independence were mocked by contemporary society.