The image of the woman cyclist in the earliest 19th-century Polish cycling magazines (Cyklista and Koło)
Keywords:
19th-century sports press, history of the bicycle, cycling magazines, female cyclists, women’s emancipationAbstract
The invention and popularization of the bicycle by the end of the 19th century was a significant event in social,
sporting, and cultural contexts. The bicycle played a pivotal role in the emancipation of women — it provided women
with the means to achieve mobility, independence, and liberation from rigid societal norms. It offered greater
freedom of movement and simultaneously became a symbol of liberation from traditional conventions and con-
straints. In the literal sense, it freed women from corsets. This article attempts to analyze these transformations by
analyzing the content of the first Polish cycling magazines, the Warsaw‑based Cyklista [The Cyclist] (1895–1898)
and the Lwów‑based Koło [The Wheel] (1895–1898). The study reconstructs the image of the female cyclist by
examining the reactions to the new trend, the cycling fashion, the debates about women's participation in races, and the adoption of the female cyclist as a source of creative inspiration. While the 19th‑century cycling magazines played a significant role in promoting sports activity among women, often enough they also reinforced traditional stereotypes and social conventions.
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