Tag Archives: cycling

Discover Victorian Cyclist Tessie Reynolds on the Brighton Museums Blog

      Tessie Reynolds, a long-forgotten cycling athlete from the late Victorian era, has returned to the spotlight through Brighton Museums. Brighton Museums “100 First Women Portraits” celebrates women’s accomplishments through the photography of Anita Corbin. Portraits range from Lady Hale … Continue reading

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Sylvia Pankhurst Memorial Lecture 2018, “Pedalling Days”

  The  Sylvia Pankhurst Memorial Lecture 2018 took place at Wortley Hall, near Sheffield before a packed audience. The topic was “Pedalling Days: Sylvia Pankhurst and Political Cycling Traditions from Clarionettes to Suffragettes.” Previous speakers have included Dr Helen Pankhurst and Dr … Continue reading

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Cycling UK’s 100 Women in Cycling 2018

Cycling UK has announced its “100 Women in Cycling” for 2018. I’m honoured to be included along with 99 other inspirational women from the cycling world! A flurry of nominees came in from across the country. The final list includes well … Continue reading

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Tessie Reynolds: The Stormy Petrel in the Struggle for Women’s Equality in Cycle Racing and Dress

 **Updated: Originally posted 12 May 2015. In 1893, a remarkable sixteen year old girl rode from Brighton to London and back in record time, covering the full distance in just over 8.5 hours. Her name was Tessie Reynolds, and though … Continue reading

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1918 Representation of the People Act Centennial

                                Image: Parliamentary Archives, HL/PO/PU/1/1918/7&8G5c64 The 1918 Representation of the People Act granted the vote to women over the age of 30 who met property requirements. It … Continue reading

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Happy Holidays from Cycling to Suffrage!

Cycling to Suffrage is looking forward to a busy 2018! It’s a bumper year for bicycling and suffrage, during which we’ll celebrate 200 years Denis Johnson’s proto-bicycle hobbyhorse patent and 100 years since the limited franchise was achieved for women under the Representation … Continue reading

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Bicycle Fashion Files Part Three: The 1890s Craze

Innovation and experimentation in Late Victorian women’s cycling costumes An explosion of women’s cycling fashion accompanied the cycling craze on the 1890s. The third and final blog in the Bicycle Fashion Files series looks at practical, popular and inventive approaches to late … Continue reading

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Bicycle Fashion Files Part Two: Tricycles and Highwheelers, 1870-1880s

The Question of Women’s Dress During the Heyday of Tricycles and Highwheelers, 1870-1880s The second instalment of the Bicycle Fashion Files examines cycling dress in the age of the tricycle and highwheeler, 1870s-80s. While only a few women took to … Continue reading

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Bicycle Fashion Files Part One: Early Inventions 1790-1860s

Adapting Women’s Dress to Early Cycling Technology, 1790-1860s Fashion is one of the most popular topics in women’s cycling history. The Bicycle Fashion Files look at women’s cycling fashion across three eras, Early Inventions 1790-1860s, Highwheeling and Tricycling 1870-1880s, and The Cycling Craze … Continue reading

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Bicycle Face: A guide to Victorian cycling diseases

  “Don’t cultivate a bicycle face.” — Don’ts for women on bicycles, New York World, 1895 Medical professionals kept a watchful eye on cycling when it rose in prominence as a fashionable form of leisure for men and women in … Continue reading

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