Tessie Reynolds

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Tessie Reynolds (1893) in her "rational dress"

Tessie Reynolds (also Tissie Reynolds ; * approx. 1877 in Kemp Town , Brighton , † 1955 ) was an English cyclist .

Career

Tessie Reynolds was the oldest of a total of eleven children at the bicycle dealer RJ Reynolds. He encouraged all of his children to play sports - fencing , cycling, and athletics - obviously regardless of whether they were girls or boys. His wife ran a guesthouse that was particularly aimed at traveling cyclists. Tessie Reynolds presumably trained on the Preston Park Velodrome , which still exists today and was built in 1877 and located about two miles from her parents' home.

In September 1893, at the age of 16, Tessie Reynold rode a men's bike from Brighton to London in the record time of eight hours and 38 minutes , which corresponded to a distance of 176 kilometers (average speed 20.4 km / h). Sensation and scandal was also that she wore while a suit that was similar to a man's suit and "rational dress" (dt. " Rational suit") was called. The suit was tailored by her sisters. Tessie avowedly wore it not only because it was practical for long-distance driving, but also to popularize this type of clothing with women. An acquaintance of hers, Edward M. Richards, wrote to her in a letter that Tessie Reynold was fighting, like David once, with the "Goliath of society". In fact, she was widely criticized for her suit after the ride, and when she tried to join a women's cycling club when she was 18, she was turned away. Some members had voted against their admission because they feared that this suit, which was considered unsuitable for women, could be associated with the association. The reason for the rejection was that she had to be “older” and “more experienced”.

Despite this hostility, Tessie Reynolds was repeatedly portrayed and mentioned in newspaper articles for years; their notoriety reached as far as the USA. In 1895 cycling magazine The Wheeler wrote : “Who hasn't heard of Tissie Reynolds? And who of those who know you can resist your familiar smile? "

In the reports on Tessie Reynolds, her "rational dress" played an important role, which she continued to wear and propagated, which repeatedly gave rise to public discussions. An anonymous reader wrote in Cycling magazine that he admired Tessie Reynolds for being a girl “with the courage to break the stupid and conventional rules that govern women's clothing [...] [I] hope mine Wife, my sisters, my cousins ​​and even my aunts will very soon be walking around in similar sensible suits ”. The cyclist George Lacy Hillier wrote admiringly that she was “the pioneer of a movement [...] the storm of the revolt against the petticoat. Why should the weaker sex be hindered by the skirt? ”She also received love letters and marriage proposals from admirers.

family

Tessie Reynolds married Montague Main, when exactly is not known. The couple had three children and moved to Barnet , where Tessie Main conducted first aid courses and worked as a safety officer. The fact that she worked as the mother of three children was also against the convention. She outlived her children, became a widow in 1948 and died in 1955. In an obituary, she was described as "a little lady with bright eyes and a wink in her eye".

literature

  • Morgan E. Barlow: "Tessie Reynolds - a 'Rational Activist'". In: Cycle History 23rd Proceedings of the 23rd International Cycling History Conference, Roeselare, Belgium, May 2012 . Edited by Dr. Andrew Ritchie and Gary Sanderson. Cheltenham 2013. pp. 212-220

See also

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ engl. "Standing forth like David of old to do battle with the Goliath of society" in: Edward M. Richards, letter to Tessie Reynolds v. February 16, 1894. Quoted from: Morgan E. Barlow: "Tessie Reynolds - a 'Rational Activist'". P. 213
  2. ↑ Violet Horne, letter to Tessie Reynolds v. February 1, 1895. Quoted from: Morgan E. Barlow: "Tessie Reynolds - a 'Rational Activist'". P. 213
  3. ↑ engl. “Who does not know about Tissie Reynolds? And who - knowing her - can resist the infection of her familiar smile? "In: Harold Quill:" On the Wind ". In: The Wheeler , April 24, 1895. Quoted from: Morgan E. Barlow: "Tessie Reynolds - a 'Rational Activist'". P. 214
  4. ↑ engl. "With sufficient courage to break through the stupid and conventional rules governing female attire [...] [I] hope that very soon my wife, sisters, my cousins ​​and even my aunts might go about in similar sensitive costs" in: Andrew Ritchie : King of the Road. An Illustrated History of Cycling . London 1975, p. 157
  5. ↑ engl. "A forerunner of a movement [...] the storm of revolt against the petticoat. Why should the weaker sex be handicapped with the skirt? ”In: George Lacy Hillier. In: Bicycling News , September 3, 1893. Quoted from: Morgan E. Barlow: "Tessie Reynolds - a 'Rational Activist'". P. 216
  6. ↑ engl. "Bright-eyed little lady with a twinkle in her eye" in: "A Pioneer". In: Barnet Press , December 10, 1949. Quoted from: Morgan E. Barlow: "Tessie Reynolds - a 'Rational Activist'". P. 217
personal data
SURNAME Reynolds, Tessie
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Reynolds, Tissie (alternate spelling)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION British cyclist
DATE OF BIRTH 19th century
PLACE OF BIRTH Kemp Town , Brighton
DATE OF DEATH 1955