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THE PATENTED BICYCLE SKIRT.

America is tho country of “big deals” and American business men are famous for the despatch they give to au important transaction. It seems almost impossible to us New Zealanders, who in business are apt to bo too steady and cautious, to read of an English woman arriving at New York on a Friday with a newly patented bicycle skirt, and being on her way back across the “ Big Drink ” to Liverpool on tho following Wednesday, having in four days concluded a business transaction which brought her in nc less than =£looo. ’Hie engraving above, reproduced from pictures in the New York Herald, show the inventor of tho skirt, Mrs Bygravc by name, and also give a good idea of the nature of the invention. As to how she got through hei business in so short a time and with such excellent financial results we will now give place to the New York Herald writer, who says “ The palm for a rapid and skilful international business transaction must unquestionably be awarded to tho young and pretty British matron, Mrs Bygrave. Mrs Bygrave landed in America on Friday, tho last day of January, with a bicycle skirt of her own invention for sale. Within two hours of her arrival, while still nervous and dizzy from her long and earnest communion with Neptune, Mrs Bygrave had not only donned her new original skirt, but was displaying its various merits to the buyer of one of the largest athletic goods establishments in the country.

“Not satisfied with tho offer ho made her, this self-confident, energetic young woman went forth on Saturday in search of greater financial inducements, to part with her cycling skirt. Hie first establishment she visited ottered her a royalty on all sales mado. But Mrs Bygraves had other ambitions and walked away in her patent skirt to a well-known firm on Twenty-third street. The wisdom of her course was shown when she promptly received an offer of 5000 dollars from tho Twenty-third street dealers, who stipulated, of course, that they should receive full assurance of a patent from Washington. Lest there should be any difficulty in regard to the condition of the patent, Mrs Bygravo on Monday started on Monday W ashington, remained in the Patent Office two hours, found tho coast clear for launching, as it were, the now cycling skirt and returned to New York on the afternoon train, bho did not see tho White House. 1 hat was not her business in Washington, she Ea id.

Du Tuesday she visited the Patmit Office in .New York to make sale that there would be no delay in granting Iho patent, visited the firm with whom .-••lie was negotiating, receiv'd a cheque lor odd dollars v. iili r 'a Hole; for Ihe aedil ioiial sum of j.,,1,1) dollars as soon a, tin; patent slnmld he rectdveil, and oil W ednesday morning .-ailed Oil the Majestic for her native shore, the very neat s<mim dollar transadion having In en accomplished m less than toui days. “ Her cycling skirl is the most novel invention iii the matter d wheeling skirts that has yet. before the wheeling public. By a .-y.-.lein <■!' voids worked through openings near the waist line it can he made to fill t hrec different varieties of long-fell wants of the bicycle woman. “ First of all it is a trim, circular walk-ing-skirt, close fitting over tho hips and measuring about three yards at tho hem. To adapt this .-Pitt to the“drop frame bicycle the middle of the front breadth is pulled up by means of a snirnng yf 1 ) 1 *" run down the front seam between tins Luaig and a narrow casing. This string is drawn through an opening at tho waist, where it is fastened by means of a clasp under a neat pocket flap. Tho shirring reaches a short distance above tho knees, leaving tho skirt neat and smooth fitting about the hip ; and actually forming two loose bags in j which the knees worlc up and down without the slightest dragging and pulling at j the waist line, which is the sad and daily I experience of tho women wearing the I ordinary skirts.

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Permanent link to this item

https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/NZMAIL18960528.2.50

Bibliographic details

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1265, 28 May 1896, Page 16

Word Count
702

THE PATENTED BICYCLE SKIRT. New Zealand Mail, Issue 1265, 28 May 1896, Page 16

THE PATENTED BICYCLE SKIRT. New Zealand Mail, Issue 1265, 28 May 1896, Page 16