This website covers all aspects of the rich history of rowing, as a sport, culture phenomena, a life style, and a necessary element to keep your wit and stay sane.
“Lord Niune rowing with his mistress”, Codex Manesse, c.1304 – 1340. I presume that it is his manservant and her maid that are doing the actual rowing. The oars are in rowlocks of some kind, so they are not paddles. I think this is the earliest image of a woman rowing.
8 March 2025
By Tim Koch
Today, 8 March, International Women’s Day, Tim Koch delivers a blow to patriarchal power structures by posting historic pictures of some pioneering female rowers.
Possibly the oldest image of a women’s racing crew: “The Wet Dock, Ipswich”. It shows a coxed four crewed by women in matching boating outfits c.1842. It is probably Ann Glanville and her crew of working women from Saltash, Cornwall, who were active in boat racing at this time and who in 1842, “travelled to take on all comers”. Picture: Public Domain/Ipswich Borough Council.European women boating on lake Naini Tal in the north of India in 1867. I think that this is the oldest known photograph of women engaged in rowing. They are wearing uniforms suggesting that they are committed and serious. Their hatbands bear the name of their crew, “Undine” (a female water nymph).A sculling race between Lottie McAlice and Maggie Lew was held on 23 July 1870 on the Monongahela River near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The one-mile race between two 16-year-old contestants was the first such event to capture wide public attention. Rowing historian Tom Weil thought this the oldest image of women actively engaged in boat racing. Wonderfully, the picture does not patronise the pair, it shows two strong and determined women taking part in a serious race. Picture: Thomas E. Weil Collection.Another early image of women actually racing. The Ladies’ Double Sculls at Harlem, New York, in 1871. Picture: Thomas E. Weil Collection.Members of the Ace Rowing Club at a women’s regatta held at Putney in 1931.
The Mannum crew that won the first Women’s Interstate Four-Oared Championship, held on 15 May 1920 on the Brisbane River in Queensland. Picture: State Library of South Australia PRG-280-1-25-296.
A winning crew from the Warsaw Rowing Club, 1927. Picture: National Digital Archive, Poland.
Lucy Pocock, winner of the Women’s Championship of the Thames, 1912.
Coach Hiram Conibear and a University of Washington women’s crew, 1907.
Casseler Frauen-Ruderverein was founded c.1911 for female school students in Kassel, Hesse, in central Germany.
A United Universities Women’s Boat Club crew, the Women’s Head of the River, 1935.The University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, 1935.Members of Denmark’s Hellerup Dameroklub pictured in the 1920s. Picture: arkivdk.ZLAC, a women’s rowing club, was founded in San Diego, California, in 1892. This is a wonderful picture of a ZLAC member, an elderly lady sculling with full commitment but still maintaining the elegance typical of much of her generation in jewellery, makeup and fashionable sunglasses.A post from the women’s squad at Leander for IWD 2024. Each is wearing kit from their first club to honour that year’s theme, #inspireinclusion.
Addendum: Penny’s Legacy
Last November athlete, coach and administrator Penny Chuter died at the age of 82 having spent a lifetime promoting the place of women in the sport of rowing. The Boat Race played a significant role in her career when in 1994 she was appointed head of Oxford University Boat Club. Matilda Horn, currently the CUBC Assistant Women’s Coach, is quoted, with others, in an excellent tribute to Penny by Olivia Bothamley-Dakin posted on the official Boat Race website.
Matilda Horn:
Penny Chuter’s influence on women’s rowing is undeniable. She carved a path where, frankly, there wasn’t one before. Her success not only proved that women could coach at the highest level, but it also inspired a generation of female coaches, me included, to strive for more.
It strikes me that still not enough has changed for women in coaching based on the challenges Penny faced in her era of coaching, and the challenges women feel they face now. It is progressing and it brings me much joy to see female coaches in so many programmes across the country. Yet there are so few in leading roles.
I have heard women in rowing coaching being criticised of not being of the standard to be coaching at an elite level, Penny showed us that this is not the case. An apparently different style does not mean it is wrong but potentially suggests that as the world progresses, sport still lags.
Having female coaches in rowing is crucial, it creates a more inclusive environment for athletes. It’s not just about representation, it’s about perspective. Female coaches bring valuable skills and perspectives that transform the athlete experience. These skills, coupled with the power of representation, cultivate trust and open communication, leading to improved performance.
Thank you so much, Tim, and everyone else at HTBS for another wonderful posting. As a female rower. I have so enjoyed Tim’s excellent photos of so many events and the fruits of his researches in the archives as well as all the other 5,000 postings on HTBS. Well done and please keep on giving me the best start to my day. Jane
Tim Koch, thank you for an interesting and enlightening article about women rowers in celebration of IWD. However, l am surprised and saddened that there is no mention of Amy Gentry. A disappointing omission to say the least.
Hello Vivien, While Amy Gentry was not mentioned in Tim’s IWD article this year, she has showed up in other IWD pieces on HTBS. Here is a link to 10 articles which are either whole articles about her or there is a reference to her. Happy reading! https://heartheboatsing.com/tag/amy-gentry/
Hear The Boat Sing 
Thank you so much, Tim, and everyone else at HTBS for another wonderful posting. As a female rower. I have so enjoyed Tim’s excellent photos of so many events and the fruits of his researches in the archives as well as all the other 5,000 postings on HTBS. Well done and please keep on giving me the best start to my day. Jane
Thank you, Jane. I cannot promise another 5,000 posts, but we will be working on it.
All the best, Göran
Tim Koch, thank you for an interesting and enlightening article about women rowers in celebration of IWD. However, l am surprised and saddened that there is no mention of Amy Gentry. A disappointing omission to say the least.
Hello Vivien, While Amy Gentry was not mentioned in Tim’s IWD article this year, she has showed up in other IWD pieces on HTBS. Here is a link to 10 articles which are either whole articles about her or there is a reference to her. Happy reading!
https://heartheboatsing.com/tag/amy-gentry/
Kind regards,
Göran R Buckhorn,
Editor, HTBS