Victorian women, constricted by corsets, long skirts, and society's notions of propriety, could play croquet, walk, or skate without causing a second glance. The more adventurous could even play tennis--as well as anyone might in an ankle-length dress. Then around 1890, the "safety bicycle" was invented, an event generally credited with helping introduce women to the sporting world in earnest (Herstory 1977). The bicycle provided added impetus to the "battle of the bloomer," and provided women with considerable unchaperoned freedom.
