Cycling Suit
Cycling Suit, 1896–98. Brooklyn Museum Costume Collection at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Gift of the Brooklyn Museum, 2009; Mr. and Mrs. Morton Sultzer, 1979. Image, Art Resource, NY.
Jacket
F.X. Ledoux, Jacket, 1898–1899. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Gift of Mrs. William E. Dupree, 1955.
Gym Suit
Gym Suit, 1893–98. Brooklyn Museum Costume Collection at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Gift of the Brooklyn Museum, 2009; Gift of Mrs. Albert Ogden in memory of Sheldon Stewart, 1964.
Background
Prior to the late 1800s women and girls were typically discouraged from exercising. Doctors believed they were physically fragile and needed the shelter of their homes to maintain good health. But in the second half of the 1800s scientists learned that all human bodies benefit from movement. This led to widespread attempts to promote good nutrition and exercise for all Americans, including women. Schools and colleges started to require physical education courses for female students, and women and girls fortunate enough to have leisure time used it to pursue a new array of physical activities.
These new activities also meant newfound freedom. Gym classes and organized sports like tennis and golf allowed women and girls to socialize and develop new skills. Some women took self-defense classes, which made them feel more confident that they could protect themselves in the world. Bicycling was the most liberating new activity. It gave women and girls the freedom to move around their communities quickly and easily. Susan B. Anthony famously said the bicycle “has done more to emancipate women than anything else in the world. It gives women a feeling of freedom and self-reliance. I stand and rejoice every time I see a woman ride by on a wheel.”
About the Image
The new physical activities open to women and girls in the late 1800s created the need for new clothing styles that allowed for better range of movement. But the clothing also needed to maintain the modesty and dignity expected of women athletes. These three images show sport outfits from the 1890s. The first is a bicycle suit. It is designed to look like a skirt, but the front panel hides a pair of wide leg pants that allowed the wearer to ride safely without showing her legs. The second is a golf outfit, with the jacket cut to allow the arms to swing freely. The third outfit is for exercise classes. It includes a loose shirt and baggy pants called bloomers. These gave the wearer great freedom of movement. The scarf with balls could be used as a prop during exercise routines, much like weights or bands are used in exercise classes today.
Vocabulary
- modesty: The quality of not being too proud or confident.
- wheel: A slang term for a bicycle.
Discussion Questions
- What do you notice about each of these outfits? What would it be like to wear one?
- How does each outfit strike a balance between the traditional expectations of women and girls and the newfound freedoms they were allowed to pursue in this era?
- How do these outfits compare with what women wear for similar activities today? What does this tell us about how societal values, the purpose of exercise, and the experiences of women have changed over time?
Suggested Activities
- Invite students to get up from their seats and move their bodies as if they were playing golf, riding a bicycle, or taking an exercise class. Then, ask them to try doing it as if they were wearing a corset, a long skirt, flowing pants, or a hat. What movements might be difficult or impossible? What movements might be uncomfortable or painful?
- For a more comprehensive overview of the development of women’s fashions, compare this resource with any or all of the following resources:
- Compare these outfits with the one depicted in Rose O’Neill’s suffrage poster. How is the uncorseted outfit in that resource different from the three recreation outfits?
Themes
AMERICAN CULTURE; SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, AND MEDICINE; ACTIVISM AND SOCIAL CHANGE
