One of the iconic images of Victorian days is the boat drifting on a calm stream, a gentleman in his straw "boater" hat at the oars, a lady in full Victorian regalia reclining at the opposite end of the boat, often under a parasol. I have a slightly less iconic image in my files of a woman standing up in such a boat, pouring a beverage - possibly an action not recommended by most boaters. Boating, canoeing, punting and rowing were all popular sports in the 19th century, and women didn't always simply recline elegantly under a parasol; they took up oars as well, and even became involved in rowing clubs and boat races.

Up the River (Illustrated London Almanack, 1874)

Boating and fishing on the Thames.

How to Make a Boat, by Frederic G. Mather (St. Nicholas, 1875)

Camping Out on the Thames, by James Albert (Cassell's Family Magazine, 1876)

"A week on the Thames is a very healthy and very pleasant way of spending a holiday, but two things are necessary - you must have fine weather, and you and your companions must have good tempers."

The Requirements of a Yachting Cruise, by A Careful Housewife (Cassell's Family Magazine, 1877)

Tips for lady readers who may be asked to accompany their spouses to sea.

Boats and Yachts, and How to Sail Them, by William H.G. Kingston (Little Folks, 1878)

A Full-Rigged Ship (Collier's Cyclopedia, 1882)

Very nice illustration that shows the positions and names of all ropes, sails, etc.

Knots and Splices (Collier's Cyclopedia, 1882)

Rowing (Collier's Cyclopedia, 1882)

Rowing for Girls (Cassell's Family Magazine, 1882)

Steam-Yachting in America, by S.G.W. Benjamin (Century Magazine, 1882B)

The Games and Amusements of the Month: July (Little Folks, 1883)

Lawn tennis, cricket, rowing and sailing, and seaside sports.

The Games and Amusements of the Month: August (Little Folks, 1883)

Rowing, canoeing, quoits, lawn tennis; ring-the-bell; collecting leaves, seaweeds and seashells.

A Fair Canoeist (Cassell's Family Magazine, 1885)

Canoeing in the North Sea.

Boat-Racing by Amateurs, by Henry Eckford (Century Magazine, 1887B)

On the evils of introducing "the professional element into amateur athletics."

College Boat-Racing, by Julian Hawthorne (Century Magazine, 1887B)

Paddle Your Own Canoe, by C. Bowyer Vaux (Demorest, 1888)

Canoeing on the Hudson River, a favorite summer pastime for New York ladies!

Boating at Cambridge (Cassell's Family Magazine, 1888)

Cowes Castle, the Clubhouse of the Royal Yacht Squadron, by Lady Fairlie Cunningham (English Illustrated Magazine, 1890A)

A nice look at both the castle and the club.

Rowing at Cambridge, by R.C. Lehman (English Illustrated Magazine, 1890A)

Rowing at Oxford, by W.H. Grenfell (English Illustrated Magazine, 1890A)

Sea Belles, by G. Vickars-Gaskell (Cassell's Family Magazine, 1891)

A day of sailing.

Coast and Inland Yachting, by Frederic W. Pangborn (Century Magazine, 1892B)

English Racing Yachts, by Dixon Kemp (English Illustrated Magazine, 1892A)

Rowing for Girls, by Ellen le Garde (Ladies' Home Journal, 1892)

Cup Defenders Old and New, by W.P. Stephens (Century Magazine, 1893B)

A look at some of the yachts competing for the America's Cup.

Boating on the Cam (Cassell's Family Magazine, 1895)

The Ethics of Yachting (Century Magazine, 1896A)

Yachting in the Mediterranean, by the Earl of Desart (Cassell's Family Magazine, 1896)

How to navigate and enjoy this "treacherous sea" -- along with some lovely pictures of the interior of the author's own yacht.

Boating for Girls (Girl's Own Paper, 1902)

Boats and Boating (Drapers' Self-Culture, 1913)

Motor-Boating (Drapers' Self-Culture, 1913)

Sailing: Definitions and Instructions (Drapers' Self-Culture, 1913)