Women & Bicycles - Revision history

Lisaruth at 23:30, 27 February 2026

2026-02-27T23:30:38Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 16:30, 27 February 2026
Line 43:		Line 43:
	[[Image:Falcons.jpg]]		[[Image:Falcons.jpg]]

	'''Falcons Women's ~~Bicycling~~ Club at [[CARVILLE: Suburban Bohemia in Fin de Siecle San Francisco\|Carville by the Sea]].'''		'''Falcons Women's Bicycle Club at [[CARVILLE: Suburban Bohemia in Fin de Siecle San Francisco\|Carville by the Sea]].'''

	''Photo: Shaping San Francisco''		''Photo: Shaping San Francisco''

Ccarlsson at 22:52, 17 March 2020

2020-03-17T22:52:10Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 15:52, 17 March 2020
Line 8:		Line 8:

	''Photo: California Historical Society''		''Photo: California Historical Society''

			[[Image:Museum-of-19th-century-curiosities WASP-1890s.jpg]]

			'''Museum of 19th century curiosities from the WASP... modern women with their bicycles examine the relics of times gone by (or soon to pass!)'''

			''Image: California Historical Society''

	In the early 1890s, a few fashionable women in San Francisco began to shorten their [[The_Bifurcated_Skirt\|skirts]] a few inches to accommodate their latest pastime: [[CYCLERS RIDE IN GAY ATTIRE\|bicycling]]. By 1895, so many women in the United States were bicycling that they started a new movement for dress reform (trading long skirts and petticoats for shorter outfits, bloomers, and gaiters). But more important than the new freedom of dress was the new freedom of movement.		In the early 1890s, a few fashionable women in San Francisco began to shorten their [[The_Bifurcated_Skirt\|skirts]] a few inches to accommodate their latest pastime: [[CYCLERS RIDE IN GAY ATTIRE\|bicycling]]. By 1895, so many women in the United States were bicycling that they started a new movement for dress reform (trading long skirts and petticoats for shorter outfits, bloomers, and gaiters). But more important than the new freedom of dress was the new freedom of movement.

Ccarlsson: added 1890s images

2017-02-03T07:55:23Z

added 1890s images

← Older revision		Revision as of 00:55, 3 February 2017
Line 3:		Line 3:
	''by Laura Fraser''		''by Laura Fraser''

	[[Image:~~Wimmin%24women~~-~~cyclists~~-~~1930~~.jpg]]		[[Image:Liberty-Cycling-Club-all-on-Liberty-Cycles-c-1895.jpg]]

			'''The women of the Liberty Cycling Club astride their Liberty cycles, c. 1895.'''

	''~~'Cycling in Golden Gate Park c. 1930s.'~~''		''Photo: California Historical Society''

	In the early 1890s, a few fashionable women in San Francisco began to shorten their [[The_Bifurcated_Skirt\|skirts]] a few inches to accommodate their latest pastime: [[CYCLERS RIDE IN GAY ATTIRE\|bicycling]]. By 1895, so many women in the United States were bicycling that they started a new movement for dress reform (trading long skirts and petticoats for shorter outfits, bloomers, and gaiters). But more important than the new freedom of dress was the new freedom of movement.		In the early 1890s, a few fashionable women in San Francisco began to shorten their [[The_Bifurcated_Skirt\|skirts]] a few inches to accommodate their latest pastime: [[CYCLERS RIDE IN GAY ATTIRE\|bicycling]]. By 1895, so many women in the United States were bicycling that they started a new movement for dress reform (trading long skirts and petticoats for shorter outfits, bloomers, and gaiters). But more important than the new freedom of dress was the new freedom of movement.

	[[Image:~~Sally~~-~~emerson-jean-williams~~.jpg]]		[[Image:WASP-bloomers.jpg]]

	'''~~Sally Emerson and Jean Williams stump an officer~~ in ~~1933 in Golden Gate Park~~.'''		'''Bloomers were the rage in the mid-1890s, making the cover of The Wasp.'''

	''~~Photo~~: ~~San Francisco History Center, San Francisco Public Library~~''		''Image: California Historical Society''

	As Mrs. Reginald de Koven wrote for ''Cosmopolitan'' magazine in August, 1885, "To men, rich and poor, the bicycle is an unmixed blessing, but to women it is deliverance, revolution, salvation. It is well nigh impossible to overestimate the potentialities of this exercise in the curing of the common and characteristic ills of womankind, both physical and mental, or to calculate the far reaching effects of its influence in the matters of dress and social reform ."		As Mrs. Reginald de Koven wrote for ''Cosmopolitan'' magazine in August, 1885, "To men, rich and poor, the bicycle is an unmixed blessing, but to women it is deliverance, revolution, salvation. It is well nigh impossible to overestimate the potentialities of this exercise in the curing of the common and characteristic ills of womankind, both physical and mental, or to calculate the far reaching effects of its influence in the matters of dress and social reform ."
Line 20:		Line 22:

	"The rewards which this exercise offers are so great, in the fascination of the free motion, the exhilaration of the sense of power over the wheel, the delight of flying through the landscape," Mrs. de Koven went on, "that it is no wonder it is potent to bring delicate, fanciful women off their couches, and to rid them of vapors and nerves."		"The rewards which this exercise offers are so great, in the fascination of the free motion, the exhilaration of the sense of power over the wheel, the delight of flying through the landscape," Mrs. de Koven went on, "that it is no wonder it is potent to bring delicate, fanciful women off their couches, and to rid them of vapors and nerves."

			[[Image:Sally-emerson-jean-williams.jpg]]

			'''Sally Emerson and Jean Williams stump an officer in 1933 in Golden Gate Park.'''

			''Photo: San Francisco History Center, San Francisco Public Library''

			[[Image:Wimmin%24women-cyclists-1930.jpg]]

			'''Cycling in Golden Gate Park c. 1930s.'''

	Even more amazing bicycle-cures seemed to be possible: "The bicycle actually has been used by physicians as a means of curing insanity, and there is an authenticated case of an inmate of a retreat in Brooklyn who was restored to sanity by the use of the machine; surely an astonishing proof of what this regular absorbing physically healthful exercise may do for a mind diseased.		Even more amazing bicycle-cures seemed to be possible: "The bicycle actually has been used by physicians as a means of curing insanity, and there is an authenticated case of an inmate of a retreat in Brooklyn who was restored to sanity by the use of the machine; surely an astonishing proof of what this regular absorbing physically healthful exercise may do for a mind diseased.

Ccarlsson at 07:12, 22 September 2014

2014-09-22T07:12:02Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 00:12, 22 September 2014
Line 28:		Line 28:

	''Photo: Shaping San Francisco''		''Photo: Shaping San Francisco''

			<blockquote>Fashion and society were definitely part of the Falcons' interest in the horse car clubhouse. Mrs. Fitzgerald, the club's ringleader, rented the (street)car not only as a place to rest after rides—the long, upholstered seats served very well for naps—but as an interesting locale for the seven married ladies to entertain. Sunday morning rides to the beach were followed by breakfasts and card games in the car, and soon the women hosted dinner parties as well.<br><br>
			The Falcons' car sported alternating curtains of blue and white denim in the windows, matching bule and white coverlets upholstering the long seats, and blue and white matting on the floor. Between the windows, the ladies hung paintings of bicycles and seascapes. At the back of the car, the Falcons added a kitchen and shed for their bicycles. Three coal oil stoves fueled dinners for as many as 35, although parties that large took place ''al fresco''.<br><br>
			The Falcons mounted the car on a wooden raft foundation to keep it from sinking in the sand, and surrounded it with a low wire fence. A short swing gate allowed entry beneath an arch featuring the club logo. On the roof of the car, the ladies mounted a bicycle wheel.</blockquote>

			''from [http://www.outsidelands.org/store.php ''Carville-by-the-Sea: San Francisco's Streetcar Suburb''] by Woody LaBounty''

	[[Women Swimming in the Golden Gate\|Prev. Document]] [[1894 Midwinter Fair: WOMEN ARTISTS, an appreciation \|Next Document]]		[[Women Swimming in the Golden Gate\|Prev. Document]] [[1894 Midwinter Fair: WOMEN ARTISTS, an appreciation \|Next Document]]

	[[category:Women]] [[category:1880s]] [[category:1890s]] [[category:1900s]] [[category:1930s]] [[category:Transit]] [[category:Bicycling]]		[[category:Women]] [[category:1880s]] [[category:1890s]] [[category:1900s]] [[category:1930s]] [[category:Transit]] [[category:Bicycling]]

Ccarlsson: moved Falcons photo here too

2014-08-16T04:24:28Z

moved Falcons photo here too

← Older revision		Revision as of 21:24, 15 August 2014
Line 22:		Line 22:

	Even more amazing bicycle-cures seemed to be possible: "The bicycle actually has been used by physicians as a means of curing insanity, and there is an authenticated case of an inmate of a retreat in Brooklyn who was restored to sanity by the use of the machine; surely an astonishing proof of what this regular absorbing physically healthful exercise may do for a mind diseased.		Even more amazing bicycle-cures seemed to be possible: "The bicycle actually has been used by physicians as a means of curing insanity, and there is an authenticated case of an inmate of a retreat in Brooklyn who was restored to sanity by the use of the machine; surely an astonishing proof of what this regular absorbing physically healthful exercise may do for a mind diseased.

			[[Image:Falcons.jpg]]

			'''Falcons Women's Bicycling Club at [[CARVILLE: Suburban Bohemia in Fin de Siecle San Francisco\|Carville by the Sea]].'''

			''Photo: Shaping San Francisco''

	[[Women Swimming in the Golden Gate\|Prev. Document]] [[1894 Midwinter Fair: WOMEN ARTISTS, an appreciation \|Next Document]]		[[Women Swimming in the Golden Gate\|Prev. Document]] [[1894 Midwinter Fair: WOMEN ARTISTS, an appreciation \|Next Document]]

	[[category:Women]] [[category:1880s]] [[category:1890s]] [[category:1900s]] [[category:1930s]] [[category:Transit]]		[[category:Women]] [[category:1880s]] [[category:1890s]] [[category:1900s]] [[category:1930s]] [[category:Transit]] [[category:Bicycling]]

Lisaruth: added link in text

2009-01-18T22:01:21Z

added link in text

← Older revision		Revision as of 15:01, 18 January 2009
Line 7:		Line 7:
	'''Cycling in Golden Gate Park c. 1930s.'''		'''Cycling in Golden Gate Park c. 1930s.'''

	In the early 1890s, a few fashionable women in San Francisco began to shorten their skirts a few inches to accommodate their latest pastime: [[CYCLERS RIDE IN GAY ATTIRE\|bicycling]]. By 1895, so many women in the United States were bicycling that they started a new movement for dress reform (trading long skirts and petticoats for shorter outfits, bloomers, and gaiters). But more important than the new freedom of dress was the new freedom of movement.		In the early 1890s, a few fashionable women in San Francisco began to shorten their [[The_Bifurcated_Skirt\|skirts]] a few inches to accommodate their latest pastime: [[CYCLERS RIDE IN GAY ATTIRE\|bicycling]]. By 1895, so many women in the United States were bicycling that they started a new movement for dress reform (trading long skirts and petticoats for shorter outfits, bloomers, and gaiters). But more important than the new freedom of dress was the new freedom of movement.

	[[Image:Sally-emerson-jean-williams.jpg]]		[[Image:Sally-emerson-jean-williams.jpg]]

Lisaruth at 22:00, 18 January 2009

2009-01-18T22:00:06Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 15:00, 18 January 2009
Line 13:		Line 13:
	'''Sally Emerson and Jean Williams stump an officer in 1933 in Golden Gate Park.'''		'''Sally Emerson and Jean Williams stump an officer in 1933 in Golden Gate Park.'''

	''Photo: San Francisco History ~~Room~~, SF Public Library''		''Photo: San Francisco History Center, San Francisco Public Library''

	As Mrs. Reginald de Koven wrote for ''Cosmopolitan'' magazine in August, 1885, "To men, rich and poor, the bicycle is an unmixed blessing, but to women it is deliverance, revolution, salvation. It is well nigh impossible to overestimate the potentialities of this exercise in the curing of the common and characteristic ills of womankind, both physical and mental, or to calculate the far reaching effects of its influence in the matters of dress and social reform ."		As Mrs. Reginald de Koven wrote for ''Cosmopolitan'' magazine in August, 1885, "To men, rich and poor, the bicycle is an unmixed blessing, but to women it is deliverance, revolution, salvation. It is well nigh impossible to overestimate the potentialities of this exercise in the curing of the common and characteristic ills of womankind, both physical and mental, or to calculate the far reaching effects of its influence in the matters of dress and social reform ."

Lisaruth: added page content type

2009-01-18T21:59:36Z

added page content type

← Older revision		Revision as of 14:59, 18 January 2009
Line 1:		Line 1:
			'''<font face = Papyrus> <font color = maroon> <font size = 4>Historical Essay</font></font> </font>'''

			''by Laura Fraser''

	[[Image:Wimmin%24women-cyclists-1930.jpg]]		[[Image:Wimmin%24women-cyclists-1930.jpg]]

Line 18:		Line 22:

	Even more amazing bicycle-cures seemed to be possible: "The bicycle actually has been used by physicians as a means of curing insanity, and there is an authenticated case of an inmate of a retreat in Brooklyn who was restored to sanity by the use of the machine; surely an astonishing proof of what this regular absorbing physically healthful exercise may do for a mind diseased.		Even more amazing bicycle-cures seemed to be possible: "The bicycle actually has been used by physicians as a means of curing insanity, and there is an authenticated case of an inmate of a retreat in Brooklyn who was restored to sanity by the use of the machine; surely an astonishing proof of what this regular absorbing physically healthful exercise may do for a mind diseased.

	~~''—Laura Fraser''~~

	[[Women Swimming in the Golden Gate\|Prev. Document]] [[1894 Midwinter Fair: WOMEN ARTISTS, an appreciation \|Next Document]]		[[Women Swimming in the Golden Gate\|Prev. Document]] [[1894 Midwinter Fair: WOMEN ARTISTS, an appreciation \|Next Document]]

	[[category:Women]] [[category:1880s]] [[category:1890s]] [[category:1900s]] [[category:1930s]] [[category:Transit]]		[[category:Women]] [[category:1880s]] [[category:1890s]] [[category:1900s]] [[category:1930s]] [[category:Transit]]

Ccarlsson at 06:27, 7 October 2008

2008-10-07T06:27:38Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 23:27, 6 October 2008
Line 3:		Line 3:
	'''Cycling in Golden Gate Park c. 1930s.'''		'''Cycling in Golden Gate Park c. 1930s.'''

	In the early 1890s, a few fashionable women in San Francisco began to shorten their skirts a few inches to accommodate their latest pastime: bicycling. By 1895, so many women in the United States were bicycling that they started a new movement for dress reform (trading long skirts and petticoats for shorter outfits, bloomers, and gaiters). But more important than the new freedom of dress was the new freedom of movement.		In the early 1890s, a few fashionable women in San Francisco began to shorten their skirts a few inches to accommodate their latest pastime: [[CYCLERS RIDE IN GAY ATTIRE\|bicycling]]. By 1895, so many women in the United States were bicycling that they started a new movement for dress reform (trading long skirts and petticoats for shorter outfits, bloomers, and gaiters). But more important than the new freedom of dress was the new freedom of movement.

			[[Image:Sally-emerson-jean-williams.jpg]]

			'''Sally Emerson and Jean Williams stump an officer in 1933 in Golden Gate Park.'''

	As Mrs. Reginald de Koven wrote for Cosmopolitan magazine in August, 1885, "To men, rich and poor, the bicycle is an unmixed blessing, but to women it is deliverance, revolution, salvation. It is well nigh impossible to overestimate the potentialities of this exercise in the curing of the common and characteristic ills of womankind, both physical and mental, or to calculate the far reaching effects of its influence in the matters of dress and social reform ."		''Photo: San Francisco History Room, SF Public Library''

			As Mrs. Reginald de Koven wrote for ''Cosmopolitan'' magazine in August, 1885, "To men, rich and poor, the bicycle is an unmixed blessing, but to women it is deliverance, revolution, salvation. It is well nigh impossible to overestimate the potentialities of this exercise in the curing of the common and characteristic ills of womankind, both physical and mental, or to calculate the far reaching effects of its influence in the matters of dress and social reform ."

	The bicycle was seen as a cure for women who suffered from the cultural diseases of the era--hysteria, vapors, and nerves--that were brought on by stiflingly tight corsets and social manners.		The bicycle was seen as a cure for women who suffered from the cultural diseases of the era--hysteria, vapors, and nerves--that were brought on by stiflingly tight corsets and social manners.
Line 15:		Line 19:
	Even more amazing bicycle-cures seemed to be possible: "The bicycle actually has been used by physicians as a means of curing insanity, and there is an authenticated case of an inmate of a retreat in Brooklyn who was restored to sanity by the use of the machine; surely an astonishing proof of what this regular absorbing physically healthful exercise may do for a mind diseased.		Even more amazing bicycle-cures seemed to be possible: "The bicycle actually has been used by physicians as a means of curing insanity, and there is an authenticated case of an inmate of a retreat in Brooklyn who was restored to sanity by the use of the machine; surely an astonishing proof of what this regular absorbing physically healthful exercise may do for a mind diseased.

	—Laura Fraser		''—Laura Fraser''

			[[Women Swimming in the Golden Gate\|Prev. Document]] [[1894 Midwinter Fair: WOMEN ARTISTS, an appreciation \|Next Document]]

			[[category:Women]] [[category:1880s]] [[category:1890s]] [[category:1900s]] [[category:1930s]] [[category:Transit]]

Ccarlsson: New page: Image:Wimmin%24women-cyclists-1930.jpg '''Cycling in Golden Gate Park c. 1930s.''' In the early 1890s, a few fashionable women in San Francisco began to shorten their skirts a few in...

2008-10-07T06:20:39Z

New page: Image:Wimmin$women-cyclists-1930.jpg '''Cycling in Golden Gate Park c. 1930s.''' In the early 1890s, a few fashionable women in San Francisco began to shorten their skirts a few in...

New page

[[Image:Wimmin%24women-cyclists-1930.jpg]]

'''Cycling in Golden Gate Park c. 1930s.'''

In the early 1890s, a few fashionable women in San Francisco began to shorten their skirts a few inches to accommodate their latest pastime: bicycling. By 1895, so many women in the United States were bicycling that they started a new movement for dress reform (trading long skirts and petticoats for shorter outfits, bloomers, and gaiters). But more important than the new freedom of dress was the new freedom of movement.

As Mrs. Reginald de Koven wrote for Cosmopolitan magazine in August, 1885, "To men, rich and poor, the bicycle is an unmixed blessing, but to women it is deliverance, revolution, salvation. It is well nigh impossible to overestimate the potentialities of this exercise in the curing of the common and characteristic ills of womankind, both physical and mental, or to calculate the far reaching effects of its influence in the matters of dress and social reform ."

The bicycle was seen as a cure for women who suffered from the cultural diseases of the era--hysteria, vapors, and nerves--that were brought on by stiflingly tight corsets and social manners.

"The rewards which this exercise offers are so great, in the fascination of the free motion, the exhilaration of the sense of power over the wheel, the delight of flying through the landscape," Mrs. de Koven went on, "that it is no wonder it is potent to bring delicate, fanciful women off their couches, and to rid them of vapors and nerves."

Even more amazing bicycle-cures seemed to be possible: "The bicycle actually has been used by physicians as a means of curing insanity, and there is an authenticated case of an inmate of a retreat in Brooklyn who was restored to sanity by the use of the machine; surely an astonishing proof of what this regular absorbing physically healthful exercise may do for a mind diseased.

—Laura Fraser