Bloomers Collection

Claudia Cardinale actress November 1963 on the set of the film Circus World

Suffragette - Womens Rights - Bloomerism
A woman wearing bloomers is stopped by a Policeman from entering a Ladies Public Toilet as she is wearing bloomers, which PC Plod views as unsuitable for a lady! Date: 1913

Barred from Womens Lecture for wearing bloomers
A woman wearing bloomers is stopped by a Vicar from entering a Lecture (for Women Only !) as she is wearing bloomers, which Rev Self Righteous views as totally unsuitable for a lady! Date: 1911

Putting on Ice Skates
Three young women, sitting down to put on their ice skates at Wimbledon Common, London. One girl is accidentally showing off her bloomers!

Man and Woman of Friesland (Holland). A book of national types and costumes from the early 19th century

The Bloomer Costume. Woman wearing bloomers dress and trousers fashion Date: 1851

The Chalet du Cycle in the Bois de Boulogne, c. 1900 (oil on panel)
XIR32841 The Chalet du Cycle in the Bois de Boulogne, c.1900 (oil on panel) by Beraud, Jean (1849-1935); 53.5x65 cm; Musee de la Ville de Paris, Musee Carnavalet, Paris, France; French

Showing her Knickers
A young woman lifts her dress to reveal her drawers which have decorative vandyked trim. She also wears a cloche hat, silk stockings and tango heel shoes

Examples of Bloomers
An engraving of four examples of women wearing bloomers as advocated by womens rights and temperance advocate Amelia Bloomer (1818-1894) circa 1850. (Photo by Kean Collection/Getty Images)

THE BLOOMER COSTUME: lithograph, 1851, by Nathaniel Currier

Cycling Outfit of 1890S
A young woman wearing the daring new rational cycling outfit akin to bloomers

Amelia Bloomer, Originator of the New Dress - the first sight the British public received of the scandalous new attire for women

Bloomers in Hyde Park
A view of things to come - women wearing the trousers. All of female kind take to wearing bloomers. A kilted scotsman chats to a newly emancipated lady

Amelia Bloomer (1818-1894) American feminist and champion of dress reform
530648 Amelia Bloomer (1818-1894) American feminist and champion of dress reform. The style of dress for women she designed and wore

Progress of Bloomerism, or a Complete Change, 1852. Gentleman holding a baby while his wife in skirt
FLO4995437 Progress of Bloomerism, or a Complete Change, 1852. Gentleman holding a baby while his wife in skirt and bloomers leaves for her club with her girls

Model in outdoor suit - cycling
Model in matching outdoor suit of knickerbockers (bloomers / plus fours) perfectly designed for cycling. Date: circa 1946

Some Sea-Side Fashions for 1863. Victorian ladies in short hooped skirts and tiny bonnets, wearing riding boots
FLO4995472 Some Sea-Side Fashions for 1863. Victorian ladies in short hooped skirts and tiny bonnets, wearing riding boots, bloomers and shoes, holding walking sticks

Women wearing bloomers while smoking, 1851
3478820 Women wearing bloomers while smoking, 1851; (add.info.: Women wearing bloomers while smoking. Cartoon from Punch 1851.); Universal History Archive/UIG

Amelia Bloomer (1818-1894) American feminist and champion of dress reform, wearing her new dress for women
530649 Amelia Bloomer (1818-1894) American feminist and champion of dress reform, wearing her new dress for women. This was the original from which Rational cycling dress for women grew

The Bloomer Polka, composed by J.J. Blockley, c.1850
XTD75627 The Bloomer Polka, composed by J.J. Blockley, c.1850; Private Collection

Paris fashions for December, 1862. Creator: Unknown
Paris fashions for December, 1862. Fig. 1. Evening Dress. Robe of stout corded apple-green taffety...with a guipure on a white ground; the sleeves are also trimmed with a similar transparent guipure

Portrait of the Baud family in their country house in Voorburg, 1831-1832. Creator: Raden Saleh
Portrait of the Baud family in their country house in Voorburg, 1831-1832. Baud 1789-1859) was Governor-General of the Dutch East Indies from 1833 until 1836

Mishler, Larraine, Miss, portrait photograph, not before 1916. Creator: Arnold Genthe
Mishler, Larraine, Miss, portrait photograph, not before 1916

Paris Fashions for September - Boy's Dress, 1850. Creator: Unknown
Paris Fashions for September - Boy's Dress, 1850. For little Boys. A blouse, either of Valencia or plain poplin, of a medium colour, forming flat plaits on the breast

Bloomers, 1935/1942. Creator: Evelyn Bailey
Bloomers, 1935/1942

Films Are You Being Served Mollie Sugden Actress puling up negligee to reveal Union Jack long johns knickers August 1977 dbase msi

A Tandem Bicycle
3790541 A Tandem Bicycle; (add.info.: A Tandem Bicycle. Early 20th century illustration. La Locomotion a Travers le Temps, Les Moeurs et L'Espace by Uzanne, Octave)

The Fashion for Bicycles in the Bois de Boulogne
3787742 The Fashion for Bicycles in the Bois de Boulogne; (add.info.: The Fashion for Bicycles in the Bois de Boulogne (French: La Vogue de la Bicyclette au Bois de Boulogne'), 1897

The Fashion for Bicycles in the Bois de Boulogne
3787952 The Fashion for Bicycles in the Bois de Boulogne; (add.info.: The Fashion for Bicycles in the Bois de Boulogne (French: La Vogue de la Bicyclette au Bois de Boulogne'), 1897

Woman riding a bicycle
3790553 Woman riding a bicycle.; (add.info.: Woman riding a bicycle. Illustration, early 20th century. La Locomotion a Travers le Temps, Les Moeurs et L'Espace by Uzanne, Octave. Paris, 1912. p)

French handcoloured fashion plate showing shooting costume 1860 French handcoloured fashion plate showing shooting costume 1860

Comic Postcard - Golfing Humour - One Down
Comic Postcard - " Wasn t I two up at the last hole, Caddie?" " Yes, but yer one down now, Lady!" circa 1930s

Chut! Papa Dort!, 19th century, (1921). Creator: Unknown
Chut! Papa Dort!, 19th century, (1921). Ssh, Papa is sleeping!. The emperor Napoleon dozes in his throne as a child holds a finger to her (his?) lips

Paris Fashions for the New Year, 1854. Creator: Unknown
Paris Fashions for the New Year, 1854. Girl's Dress. Taffetas bonnet, trimmed simply with ribbons of the same; tour de cou of ermine; mantelet of black or violet velvet

Girls in bloomers on climbing apparatus, Western High School, Washington, D.C. (1899?)

Paris Fashions for August, 1854. Creator: Unknown
Paris Fashions for August, 1854. Boy: Unbleached cap, with a plume twisted with the same colour; blouse of plain popeline, with little siik brandenbourgs laid on flat, and terminated by buttons

Paris Fashions for August, 1854. Creator: Unknown
Paris Fashions for August, 1854. Girl: Little bonnet of white taffetas, white muslin frock with two skirts - one worked - as well as a berthe a la broderie Anglaise'

Turkey - Vice Admiral, Captain, Navy Officer and Sailor
Ottoman Empire. Turkey. From left to right: Vice Admiral, Captain, Navy Officer and Sailor (ca. 1780). Engraving by Lemaitre, Lalaisse and Monnin

Children in the Tuileries Gardens in 1859, 1898 (litho)
5913089 Children in the Tuileries Gardens in 1859, 1898 (litho) by Courboin, Francois (1865-1926); (add.info.: Children in the Tuileries Gardens, 1859)

Young Woman in Undergarments, c. 1910-11 (oil on canvas)
5188341 Young Woman in Undergarments, c.1910-11 (oil on canvas) by List, Wilhelm (1864-1918); 126.1--57.5 cm; Minneapolis Institute of Arts, MN

Teresa Cavens, between 1855 and 1865. Creator: Unknown
Teresa Cavens, between 1855 and 1865

Man retrieving girls bloomers with his walking stick (colour litho)
3102384 Man retrieving girls bloomers with his walking stick (colour litho) by English School, (20th century); Private Collection; (add.info.: Man retrieving girls bloomers with his walking stick)

Progress of Bloomerism, or a Complete Change (coloured engraving)
2818056 Progress of Bloomerism, or a Complete Change (coloured engraving) by Leech, John (1817-64) (after); Private Collection; (add.info.: Progress of Bloomerism, or a Complete Change)

Comedy-Ballet of Marionettes, II, 1894. Creator: Aubrey Beardsley
Comedy-Ballet of Marionettes, II, 1894. Two women, one in bloomers and the other in a figure-hugging dress with flounced sleeves and hem. From The Yellow Book, Vol. II

Comedy-Ballet of Marionettes, III, 1894. Creator: Aubrey Beardsley
Comedy-Ballet of Marionettes, III, 1894. Figures on stage, with cymbals player, piper, conductor and drummer in the orchestra pit. From The Yellow Book, Vol. I

Harriet White, 1835 / 40. Creators: Samuel Lovett Waldo, William Jewett
Harriet White, 1835/40. Girl wearing bloomers under a full-skirted dress with puffed sleeves

Don t get the clothes too blue!, 1897. Creator: BW Kilburn
Don t get the clothes too blue!, 1897. [Woman in bloomers-style bicycling outfit instructing her husband how to do the laundry

Mary Frances Elizabeth Stapleton, 17th Baroness le Despencer, aged 15. Later wife of Evelyn Boscawen
5912909 Mary Frances Elizabeth Stapleton, 17th Baroness le Despencer, aged 15. Later wife of Evelyn Boscawen, 6th Viscount Falmouth

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"Bloomers: A Revolutionary Fashion Statement in Women's History" In November 1963, the stunning Claudia Cardinale was captured on the set of the film Circus World, embodying grace and beauty. Little did she know that her image would become synonymous with a pivotal moment in women's rights history - bloomers. Originating from the suffragette movement, they were a daring departure from traditional women's attire. Amelia Bloomer, an advocate for gender equality, popularized this revolutionary garment as a symbol of freedom and empowerment. However, wearing bloomers came at a price. Women who dared to don these comfortable trousers faced societal backlash and discrimination. They were even barred from attending women's lectures simply because of their choice in clothing. Yet despite opposition, bloomers persevered. In Friesland (Holland), both men and women proudly sported them as a testament to their progressive mindset and commitment to equality. The Chalet du Cycle in the Bois de Boulogne showcased another facet of bloomer culture - cycling outfits. These practical ensembles allowed women to engage in physical activities previously reserved for men while challenging societal norms. Nathaniel Currier immortalized the bloomer costume through his lithograph in 1851, capturing its essence as a symbol of liberation during an era when corsets constrained female bodies. It also found their place within ice skating communities where they provided comfort and flexibility on frozen ponds. However, some mishaps led to unintentional displays of undergarments or "showing knickers, " adding an element of humor amidst social change. Examples varied widely - from simple designs worn by suffragettes fighting for voting rights to elaborate costumes adorned by actresses like Claudia Cardinale on movie sets like Circus World. As time progressed into the 1890s, cycling outfits evolved further with innovative styles that combined fashion with functionality – allowing women greater mobility and independence.