1/17/2024 0 Comments Large hat pins![]() Men began climbing on railings to see better, blocking women's views. ![]() On a visit to Manhattan, Kan., in the fall of 1900, then-governor of New York, Theodore Roosevelt, witnessed a "hatpin brigade." A large crowd had gathered to hear Roosevelt speak. And, for a time, people loved the audacity of it. In the umbrella, the woman of courage and skill has a weapon of considerable merit." It went on to offer the modern woman instructions for defending herself with an umbrella, specifically how to "thrust with speed, force and precision, and to have perfect command of her feet."īut some women who wanted to strike out on their own found a more practical self-defense solution: their hatpins. The Tribune's self-defense story noted that "Women have an odd fear of firearms, but all women can and do carry a parasol or an umbrella. The prevailing wisdom was that a woman with a weapon would more likely do damage to herself than her attacker. Likewise, it was illegal to carry most types of knives. Then, as now, there was also the chance of being mugged or assaulted.Īt the time, it was a misdemeanor - for both men and women - to carry a concealed firearm in Chicago. In particular, "mashers" - men who made unwanted advances on women in public - started to plague women who braved cable cars, trains and crowded streets. "Given, therefore, a dark, deserted street, a woman glancing timidly from side to side, a vagabond, perhaps well dressed, probably inflamed with alcohol, and the stage is set for robbery and tragedy." "The present attitude of American women invites aggression," the Tribune wrote in a 1911 story about women's self-defense. Some started to take public transportation alone or walk without an escort at night.Īnd men noticed. The suffragettes were pushing for the right to vote, and women - particularly those who lived in wealthier urban areas - began to explore smaller freedoms. It was the dawn of a new era for many women. The average hatpin clocked in at 8 inches long. At the turn of the 20th century, women tucked these long pins, often with delicate filigree or jewels at the head, into their large, heavy hats to secure them to their hair. But she did help start a revolution.Ī hatpin, for those who've never seen one, is a pretty thing. She didn't stop the robber from escaping. Then, "holding it like a dagger," she plunged the hatpin into the man's chest. She quickly stood up again, raising her hand to her hat and pulling out a long pin. The conductor struggled to get free.Īccording to the Tribune, Williams leapt forward, saying, "See here, you can't fight here." One of the men hit her and pushed her into a nearby seat. When the conductor bent over to shovel more coal into the stove, one of the newcomers pinned the conductor's arms behind his back while the other began to rifle through his pockets. Two men jumped on the car near Harrison Street. The car was empty except for one other woman and the conductor, so she picked a seat toward the back and settled in the for the trip to 26th Street and California Avenue. ![]() On a rainy January morning in 1898, Sadie Williams boarded the Blue Island Avenue cable car on her way to a funeral.
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