Water & Ice

The evolving role of women in Aquatic Sports and Winter Sports is featured in 75 articles (124,000 words) in this volume of the Sports She Wrote series, written by women from 1879 to 1900, and accompanied by 100 images.Initially excluded from swimming due to societal norms, women began embracing the sport in response to drowning tragedies, leading to increased confidence and participation. The 28 swimming articles in this volume are written by 20 women. Kate Bennett emerged as an early advocate, teaching hundreds of women to swim, staging swimming exhibitions, and promoting public baths for accessibility. Clara Beckwith performed widely publicized endurance feats and her instructional book on swimming is included in this volume.Thirty-four articles written by 28 women span various boating activities, from the lifesaving heroics of lighthouse-keeper Ida Lewis, to rowing, canoeing, racing, yachting, boat clubs, pleasure boating, and dramatic shipwrecks.Thirteen articles on winter sports include ice skating, with its blend of grace, athleticism and socialization, a fictional story about ice hockey, and eight articles by seven women on the thrill of sledding and sports in the snow.Fashion is a prominent topic in several articles, including swimwear and skating costumes. Many more detailed descriptions of athleticwear are available in the volume entitled What to Wear.Sports She Wrote is a 31-volume time-capsule of primary documents written by more than 500 women in the 19th century.