Lantern Slide, Two Young Women with a Bicycle, 1900-1910

Bicycle riding became a popular American pastime in the late 19th century, particularly after the introduction of the safety bike -- with front and rear wheels of the same size -- in the mid-1880s. Women found new mobility and independence on bicycles, and by the mid-1890s female riders represented about one-third of the active cyclists in the United States.