Annie Londonderry's Bicycle Trip Around the World
27 Jun 1894 to 12 Sep 1895
Annie Kopchovsky (AKA Londonderry) was not the likeliest candidate to bring fame to the bicycling feats of the New Woman and make the adoption of athletic clothing acceptable for women, however, after her fifteen-month bicycle trip around the world she was cemented as a celebrity. At the time of her trip, she weighed 100lbs., stood a mere 5-foot-3, and had never ridden a bicycle before. What the public did not know was that she was a Jewish mother of three children under six, and she chose the name Londonderry to hide her recognizably Jewish name- this was to protect her from anti-semitism and reproach for leaving her husband and children. The challenge that Annie had undertaken began when two men made a bet that a woman could not match the around the world bicycle trip of Thomas Stevens completed in 32 months.
Ultimately Annie's journey was a success launching her into international fame. She would later go on a series of public speaking tours and would emphasize that giving up a skirt in favor of a bicycling costume in the first days of her trip was a large part of her success. Due to her fame, Annie became a symbol of the new woman internationally and d a model of the bicycling costume that included no cumbersome skirts. In addition to public speaking, Annie was often featured in advertisements in her bicycling costume and famous bicycle and began a writing career. She would write, "I am a journalist and a 'new woman' if that term means that I believe I can do anything a man can do."
My first two sources have a close connection to Annie as they were written by Peter Zheutin whose great-grandfather was Annie's older brother Bennet. The two articles are Chasing Annie and Annie Londonderry's Extraordinary Ride. To fully understand Annie's daring in appearing in public in riding costumes it is vital to understand the historical context behind the movement. The article From Bustles to Bloomers: Exploring the Bicycles Influence on American Women's Fashion 1880-1914 written by Julia Christie-Robin, Belinda T. Orzada, and Lopez-Gydosh offers a comparative look on views of how much influence the bicycle had on women's fashion. As for primary sources, many appear in newspapers and magazines such as this article about The Short Skirt Leauge from The London Journal Ladies Supplement, and this article detailing the Aims of the Short Skirt League from the New York Times.
