Bicycling and Women's History
Women on bicycles required some rethinking of female roles in common culture: the ability to get places quickly, and often alone; the need and right to be physically fit; the need for clothing that was both safe and modest.
Bicycling: Fashion for the Active Woman, 1894 Style
Fashion, exercise and health come together as women adapt to the new contraption, the bicycle.
Fashion, exercise and health come together as women adapt to the new contraption, the bicycle.
The Bicycle and Health (1894)
Article reprinted from The Ladies' Standard Magazine, April 1894. This document is presented for educational and entertainment purposes only. Health and safety advice is from 1894 and is not based on current knowledge.
Article reprinted from The Ladies' Standard Magazine, April 1894. This document is presented for educational and entertainment purposes only. Health and safety advice is from 1894 and is not based on current knowledge.
National Woman's Party Messenger
Picture, from October 1922, of Julia Obear, working as a messenger for the National Woman's Party. The caption indicates that the Party had hired all female staff, including for such typically-male positions as "messenger boy."
Picture, from October 1922, of Julia Obear, working as a messenger for the National Woman's Party. The caption indicates that the Party had hired all female staff, including for such typically-male positions as "messenger boy."
Woman in Bicycle Costume
From an advertisement for the manufacturer of Columbia Bicycles, this drawing shows what the well-dressed female bicyclist was wearing about 1895.
From an advertisement for the manufacturer of Columbia Bicycles, this drawing shows what the well-dressed female bicyclist was wearing about 1895.