Beachside outing
The 1880s marked the first era where swimming was seen as a recreational sport and not just a therapeutic device.
Frenchwoman of the Century, Fashions - Manners - Usages. Octave Uzanne, 1886.
“The Bare-Legged Contingent”
Those scandalous women, daring to have fun!
Why Not Cycle Abroad Yourself? Clarence Stetson, 1898.
Fraulein Kussin and Mrs Edwards, who had a boxing match on March 7, 1912
(via rrosehobart)
![Skaters on the Reservoir at La Villette
What a curious hat. I would love to know exactly what style that is.
[Fashion in Paris: The Various Phases of Feminine Taste and Aesthetics from 1797 to 1897. Octave Uzanne, 1898.]](http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m08j8ry7or1qmrpnro1_1280.jpg)
Skaters on the Reservoir at La Villette
What a curious hat. I would love to know exactly what style that is.
[Fashion in Paris: The Various Phases of Feminine Taste and Aesthetics from 1797 to 1897. Octave Uzanne, 1898.]
by Willis T. White, c1910
Edwardian physical culture for the Ladies
Improvement in Skates, 01/22/1867
In 1867, Robert E. Ellerbeck applied for a patent for improved ice skates. He states in his application that straps are no longer needed because his improvement allows the skate to be attached securely to the shoe using clips.
(Don’t forget - January is National Ice Skating Month!)
“Bloomer Club” Cigar Box Cover
An 1890’s satiric lid for a cigar box, featuring women in the just-barely-acceptable new styles of skirtless knickerbockers (Bloomers) at a swanky social club. Of course, late-Victorian gender mores were still very rigid in many aspects of society, especially in formal settings, so this was an absurd satirical proposition.
The acceptable settings for bloomers (at least for the more progressively-minded - many people still felt scandalized by them in general) were not restricted to when one was bicycling. Sports such as basketball were also becoming more acceptable for women, and nonrestrictive clothing was a “must” in those arenas, as well.
Women, wheeling their way to first-wave feminism and suffrage.
“What if the bicycle girl does sit around in comfortable clothing instead of in a long silk skirt and tight corsets. What if she does chew gum and talk slang as long as she reaps enjoyment from it. There is enough misery in the world.”
I like this Dr. Neesen fellow. While most of his book is about general cycling information and instruction, his chapter on “Is the bicycle detrimental to women’s health?” was one of the finer screeds on the benefits of cycling, and on the fact that everyone would benefit if women were allowed to (and encouraged to) develop both their mental and physical strength. He saw the continual discouragement by some groups of men to be completely nonsensical from every angle.
Dr. Neesen’s Book on Wheeling: Hints and Advice to Men and Women from the Physician’s Standpoint. Victor Neesen, M.D., 1899.
Sporting Outfits of the 1870s.
How dapper! I’m especially keen on that yachting uniform. It was available as a one-piece!
The yachter definitely doesn’t come off as quite as fabulous as the gentleman from the Pastor (Tony Pastor) Baseball Club, though.
Peck & Snyder’s Encyclopedia and Price List of all Indoor and Outdoor Sports and Games; Also, Sporting Goods of Every Description. Peck & Snyder Sporting Goods, 1873.
Hand-propelled tricycle
This particular model was used by a rural postman after he lost the use of one of his legs in an accident.
Cycling. The Right Hon. Earl of Albemarle and G. Lacy Hillier, 1896
