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postcard

1900-1919

LMGLM:2007.23.3

Summary: postcard, tinted, 'Fernhill Lane, New Milton' shows two ladies with bicycles and one smart pony carriage at watersplash, published by Novelle and Co, Post Office, New Milton, Hampshire, 1900's-1910'sIdentification note: The introduction of cycling had a major impact on the lives of women. When the ‘Safety Bicycle’ was introduced in 1885, it could be...

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Summary: postcard, tinted, 'Fernhill Lane, New Milton' shows two ladies with bicycles and one smart pony carriage at watersplash, published by Novelle and Co, Post Office, New Milton, Hampshire, 1900's-1910's

Identification note: The introduction of cycling had a major impact on the lives of women. When the ‘Safety Bicycle’ was introduced in 1885, it could be operated by people of all ages making cycling an everyday possibility for both men and women. Ladies, previously consigned to riding the heavy adult size tricycles that were only practical for taking a turn around the park, could now ride a much more versatile machine and still keep their legs covered with long skirts. This bicycle craze killed the bustle and the corset, instituted ‘common-sense dressing’ for women and increased their mobility considerably. In 1896 Susan Anthony, a prominent American suffragette, said that: "the bicycle has done more for the emancipation of women than anything else in the world."

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