Women's history and suffragette rights are tied to the bicycle, believe it or not. Women riding a bicycle was seen as very independent. Naturally, it was challenging to ride in a corset and skirt so this led to the bicycle "costume" which was a good thing, women ditched skirts for bicycle bloomers. Newspaper reports often wrote in tones that implied it was scandalous for women to ride a bicycle. However, many articles referred to the "craze" and "fad" of bicycles and how much fun and mobility they offered. Many bicycle riding clubs sprouted up and in the late 19th C and early 20th, before the automobile -- bicycles were everything. Bicycle advertisements captured the freedom of the bicycle in the late 19th century.