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| February 5, 1898 |
For me, one of the innumerable joys of the "Illustrated Police News" is that while they did report on a lot of women who were victims of the domestic abuse, robberies, natural disasters and 'orrible murders that were a staple of this august publication, they balanced this by depicting a remarkable number of kick-ass females who fought their own battles, took no prisoners, and generally raised hell. No one who browses through the archives of this paper falls for the myth of Victorian female fragility for a second. Call this post my little tribute to the ladies of the IPN.
As the above sketch so eloquently demonstrates, IPN woman did not take insults from men lightly. The following image shows what happened when a drunk made offensive remarks to a lady cyclist who was "noted for her athletic powers":
Next, a woman's fiance breaks off their engagement with the insulting words that she was "one step above the street." After that, he was one foot into the grave:
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| August 10, 1872 |
Birmingham lady caught her husband with another woman, and acted accordingly:
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| September 19, 1896 |
The "Chicago Times" published an article that Lydia Thompson of the Blonde Burlesque Troupe did not like. She issued a rebuttal to the editor:
This policeman attempted to charge this woman with breaking the rules of a dog show. He soon regretted the effort.
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| October 11, 1879 |
In the Victorian novels, a "traduced" woman cried, or fainted, or committed suicide. Not the IPN lady:
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| September 9, 1899 |
Other insulted ladies scorned mere weapons and used the direct approach:
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| March 28, 1896 |
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| April 13, 1895 |
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| April 30, 1898 |
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| March 6, 1899 |
On a more civilized note, aggrieved women did not hesitate to settle their differences on the dueling field:
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| December 11, 1869 |
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| March 7, 1896 |
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| December 11, 1897 |
Even the nuns got into the true IPN spirit:
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| August 14, 1869 |
The ladies of the Illustrated Police News were life-savers!
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| December 4, 1869 |
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| February 28, 1874 |
The ladies of the Illustrated Police News were crime-fighters!
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| August 2, 1897 |
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| March 7, 1885 |
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| August 29, 1896 |
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| February 14, 1874 |
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| March 20, 1897 |
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| May 16, 1896 |
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| September 9, 1894 |
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| March 27, 1897 |
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| November 6, 1877 |
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| April 7, 1877 |
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| December 3, 1898 |
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| March 26, 1898 |
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| March 4, 1899 |
The ladies of the Illustrated Police News turned the tails on would-be murderers!
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| March 20, 1899 |
The ladies of the Illustrated Police News were expert marriage counselors!
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| August 31, 1878 |
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| August 5, 1899 |
The ladies of the Illustrated Police News wore whatever they damn well pleased!
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| September 5, 1896 |
The ladies of the Illustrated Police News liked to dance!
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| October 15, 1898 |
The ladies of the Illustrated Police News knew that sometimes the best man for a job is a woman!
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| January 14, 1899 |
And don't you even dream of getting between them and their cats!
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| October 1, 1870 |
In short, the ladies of the Illustrated Police News knew what they wanted, and didn't hesitate to get it.
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| April 9, 1898 |
How can you not love them? Here's to you, ladies. Long may you wave those horsewhips.
[Note: A sequel can be found here.]
These are great and "I am women hear me horsewhip" is the greatest blog tag of all time. I am overwhelmed with JOY right now. Look at these babes!
ReplyDeleteFeminism dressed to the nines. Only in Victorian times. Great blog!
ReplyDeleteWhere exactly did they get all those whips?
ReplyDeleteIPN editors.
DeleteCarrying a horsewhip was common at the time, since horse driven carriages/buggies were a common means of transportation.
DeleteYikes. Still, better than the firearms everyone seems to carry today.
DeleteGreat compilation, by the way. It's like a 'best of' or 'all-stars' issue.
Beauutifulll..!! (..Reminding me of my Mom & my Sister..!!)
ReplyDeleteYou had me at horsewhips.
ReplyDeleteEarly porn of a sort.
ReplyDeleteOnly a porn-sick man would say so.
DeleteIPN loved any excuse to draw a good deep cleavage and some loose hair, didn't they?
ReplyDelete