Bertha von Hillern, Pioneering Woman Athlete and Feminist Writes a Vivid Firsthand Account of a Public Endurance-Walking Exhibition in Her Hand

Bertha Von Hillern Women in Sports

Manuscript & Autographs

Bertha von Hillern. Autograph Letter Signed Describing a Pedestrienne Performance in Maine. Four-page autograph letter signed, written in Bucksport, Maine, and dated August 12, 1877, from a woman identified as Caitlin to her parents. The letter provides a vivid firsthand account of a public endurance-walking exhibition by Bertha von Hillern, one of the most celebrated pedestriennes of the late nineteenth century and a pioneering figure in women’s athletic and feminist history. The pedestriennes—now largely forgotten—were among America’s first female sports superstars, drawing large paying crowds to theatrical endurance contests staged in repurposed halls and theaters. At their height, leading pedestriennes earned more in a single week than many Americans made in a year, were widely covered in newspapers, sold photographic likenesses, influenced women’s fashion, and appeared nationally as celebrities. Their feats challenged prevailing assumptions about women’s physical limits and helped reshape public attitudes toward women’s independence, endurance, and public presence.

The letter situates von Hillern within this broader cultural phenomenon while recording the details of a specific performance witnessed by the writer. Von Hillern, a German immigrant from a military family, was widely regarded as the first great feminist pedestrienne and performed at least twenty-five solo exhibitions across thirteen cities. In Boston alone, approximately 10,000 spectators reportedly paid fifty cents each to watch her walk continuously at Music Hall, and the Washington Post described her as “one of the wonders of the nineteenth century.” Writing from Maine, the correspondent recounts attending the exhibition at City Hall, noting both the social experience and the athletic spectacle: “in the evening we went to City Hall to see Miss Bertha Von Hillern walk. Perhaps you have seen an account of her in the Boston papers. She is great walkist. She walked 88 miles in 26 hours without resting more than twenty minutes at a time.” The letter continues with precise observational detail, describing the sawdust-covered track, the number of laps required per mile, and the nonstop duration of the event, which began Friday evening and concluded late Saturday night.

The writer further conveys the charged atmosphere surrounding the performance, emphasizing its communal excitement and theatricality: “Chanlers band furnished music through the whole walk. It was nice music and such excitement and such cheering & waving of handkerchiefs and shouting every time she would make a mile…” As a primary document, the letter captures not only von Hillern’s physical achievement but also the emotional and social intensity of pedestrienne culture at its peak. For institutional collections, the letter is an exceptional piece of early feminist Americana, offering rare eyewitness testimony to a moment when women’s athletic endurance became a public spectacle capable of reshaping gender norms and laying cultural groundwork for modern sports, the revival of the Olympic movement, and the suffrage-era reimagining of women’s capabilities. Condition: The letter shows original folds and age-related toning but remains very readable throughout, with no loss of text. Overall condition: Very Good.

Item #16744

Price: $285.00