THERE'S SOMETHING ABOUT VELOCIPEDES
Cycling isn’t exactly big excitement or drama for women now: it’s fun, or exercise, or even just the daily commute. But in 1899, when Ella Shane and her good friend Hetty MacNaughten went pedaling in Washington Square Park, they were making a very clear statement about the kind of women they were, and the world in which they expected to live.
The first velocipedes (by Ella’s time, a catchall term for anything from a nearly modern bicycle to a high-wheel – to some seriously freaky things with bench seats and extra wheels) were patented in the 1860s. Cycling started out as mostly a pastime for daredevils – male daredevils, of course.
Women, though, soon decided that they wanted to get in on the action, and first in small numbers, and then much larger ones, after the invention of the safety bicycle in the late 1880s. Of course, anytime a lot of females start doing something new and adventuresome, people will notice, and some folks weren’t too amused by the lady cyclists. There were plenty of cartoons and commentaries: what must this world be coming to, if women are suddenly on wheels!
Not surprisingly, women’s rights advocates saw it a lot differently. A woman on a wheel has some level of freedom and agency, and that was enough to make them stand and rejoice.
Ella and Hetty don’t expect, or want, a cheering crowd. What they do want, and what they’re announcing by riding those bikes, is some of the same freedom that men take for granted. They’re not necessarily demanding the vote; in fact, Ella’s more concerned with women being able to make a safe and decent living, though she knows the vote is important because it means being a full citizen. But she and Hetty are very definitely telling the world that they don’t have to stay in one place and wait for someone else to tell them what to do.
Cycling also requires a significant change of costume. It’s impossible to ride a bike in a poufy crinoline or a floor-scraping bustle, and the less said about what stays do to your breathing, the better. So a lady had to put on what was called a “sports costume,” a split skirt, shirtwaist and jacket, which not only freed her to move, but revealed quite a bit of ankle and calf at a time when a glimpse of stocking could reduce a man to jelly.
Ella and Hetty aren’t just making a social and fashion statement, they’re also taking charge of their own bodies and health, in a way that 21st century women definitely recognize. Cycling and other forms of exercise were becoming the vogue for ladies at the time; in Ella’s next adventure, she and Hetty try a calisthenics class, with rather mixed results. Let’s just say that the coffee and conversation afterwards is far better.
Still, whether they’re on a wheel, walking briskly to their next event, or doing deep-knee bends, it’s all of a piece with the New Woman, as they would have been called: smart, healthy ladies who are perfectly capable of taking care of themselves, and look great doing it. Charles Dana Gibson was a fan, and judging from the success of his illustrations, so were plenty of others.
For many people, velocipedes (whether high-wheel or more like our modern bikes) became the symbol of the New Woman. And Ella’s very definitely aware of that. As she puts it: “I do not usually give ground to the fossils carping about the New Woman, but I do admit we’re a rather dangerous species on wheels.”
Better get your helmets, boys.
Today’s post is the start of my Throwback Thursday series, featuring fun facts about Ella’s time. Next week: "Why Can’t These People Keep Their Clothes On? Or, the Many Changes of a Gilded Age Lady’s Day." Any ideas or thoughts about what you’d like to explore next? Share with me in the comments!
The first velocipedes (by Ella’s time, a catchall term for anything from a nearly modern bicycle to a high-wheel – to some seriously freaky things with bench seats and extra wheels) were patented in the 1860s. Cycling started out as mostly a pastime for daredevils – male daredevils, of course.
Women, though, soon decided that they wanted to get in on the action, and first in small numbers, and then much larger ones, after the invention of the safety bicycle in the late 1880s. Of course, anytime a lot of females start doing something new and adventuresome, people will notice, and some folks weren’t too amused by the lady cyclists. There were plenty of cartoons and commentaries: what must this world be coming to, if women are suddenly on wheels!
Not surprisingly, women’s rights advocates saw it a lot differently. A woman on a wheel has some level of freedom and agency, and that was enough to make them stand and rejoice.
Ella and Hetty don’t expect, or want, a cheering crowd. What they do want, and what they’re announcing by riding those bikes, is some of the same freedom that men take for granted. They’re not necessarily demanding the vote; in fact, Ella’s more concerned with women being able to make a safe and decent living, though she knows the vote is important because it means being a full citizen. But she and Hetty are very definitely telling the world that they don’t have to stay in one place and wait for someone else to tell them what to do.
Cycling also requires a significant change of costume. It’s impossible to ride a bike in a poufy crinoline or a floor-scraping bustle, and the less said about what stays do to your breathing, the better. So a lady had to put on what was called a “sports costume,” a split skirt, shirtwaist and jacket, which not only freed her to move, but revealed quite a bit of ankle and calf at a time when a glimpse of stocking could reduce a man to jelly.
Ella and Hetty aren’t just making a social and fashion statement, they’re also taking charge of their own bodies and health, in a way that 21st century women definitely recognize. Cycling and other forms of exercise were becoming the vogue for ladies at the time; in Ella’s next adventure, she and Hetty try a calisthenics class, with rather mixed results. Let’s just say that the coffee and conversation afterwards is far better.
Still, whether they’re on a wheel, walking briskly to their next event, or doing deep-knee bends, it’s all of a piece with the New Woman, as they would have been called: smart, healthy ladies who are perfectly capable of taking care of themselves, and look great doing it. Charles Dana Gibson was a fan, and judging from the success of his illustrations, so were plenty of others.
For many people, velocipedes (whether high-wheel or more like our modern bikes) became the symbol of the New Woman. And Ella’s very definitely aware of that. As she puts it: “I do not usually give ground to the fossils carping about the New Woman, but I do admit we’re a rather dangerous species on wheels.”
Better get your helmets, boys.
Today’s post is the start of my Throwback Thursday series, featuring fun facts about Ella’s time. Next week: "Why Can’t These People Keep Their Clothes On? Or, the Many Changes of a Gilded Age Lady’s Day." Any ideas or thoughts about what you’d like to explore next? Share with me in the comments!
No comments have been added yet.
