Bicycle Face: A Lady Cyclist Medical Scare in the 1890s – Women’s History

What was “bicycle face”, why were 1890s doctors afraid of it, and what does it have to do with feminism? Find out today in this single-episode series!

ERROR CORRECTION: In the episode, Susan B. Anthony is quoted as calling bicycle face a “freedom machine”, but of course she was referring to bicycles, not bicycle face. My bad.

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Co-hosts: B. T. Newberg, with a special mystery treat at the end with Nick and Anna

Time/place: 1890s Europe and the Americas

Dead idea: Bicycle Face

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Main Sources

“An Enduring Legacy, Part 2.” (2007). Cycling Revealed. Retrieved November 25, 2016, from: http://www.cyclingrevealed.com/Mar07/Mar2_feature07.htm

Angier, N. (2015, July 13). “The Bicycle and the Ride to Modern America.” The New York Times. Retrieved November 25, 2016, from: http://www.nytimes.com/2015/07/14/science/the-bicycle-and-the-ride-to-modern-america.html

“The ‘Bicycle Face.'” (1895, March 20). The Literary Digest, 548-549. Retrieved November 25, 2016, from: UNZ.org

Bishop, J. B. (1896, August). “Social and Economic Influence of the Bicycle.” The Forum, 680-689. Retrieved November 25, 2016, from: UNZ.org

Dickinson, R. L. (1896, April). “Bicycling for Women: The Puzzling Question of Costume.” The Outlook, 751-752. Retrieved November 25, 2016, from: UNZ.org

Gosse, E. (1899, June). “The Reverses of Britomart.” The North American Review, 720-729.

“Hidden Dangers of Cycling Again.” (1897, March). The Literary Digest, 775-776. (citing Pollack)

“In Vanity Fair.” (1897, July). Munsey’s Magazine, 631-634.

Rees, G. (2012). “The Hidden Dangers of Cycling.” Gareth Rees. Retrieved November 25, 2016, from: http://garethrees.org/2012/01/10/shadwell/

Shadwell, A., M.D. (1897, February). “The Hidden Dangers of Cycling.” The National Review. Retrieved November 25, 2016, from: UNZ.org

“Topics in Brief.” (1898, May). The Literary Digest, 549. Retrieved November 25, 2016, from: UNZ.org

Maps, pics, references, and more at http://www.deadideas.net. Music and graphic design by Rachel Westhoff.

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