The bicycle, 1817-1920 - bicycle exhibit

Magazine Antiques, June, 1997 by Allison Eckardt Ledes

As it evolved from the early nineteenth century to the present, the bicycle is truly the product of a series of ingenious inventors around the world. In 1817 the German engineer Baron Karl Friedrich Drais von Sauerbronn developed the Laufmaschine (running machine), the precursor of the bicycle. His design consisted of two wooden wheels connected by a wooden beam and surmounted by an upholstered seat, but since it lacked pedals, it had to be propelled by the rider's feet pushing against the ground. After it was patented in Baden, Germany, and in Paris (under the name velocipede) in 1818, it was both imitated and improved upon. An exhibition that investigates the evolution of this form of transportation as well as numerous types of related ephemera is on view at the Morris Museum in Morristown, New Jersey, from June 8 to September 1. Bicycles: History, Beauty, Fantasy includes not only bicycles and their forerunners but also photographs, posters, optical toys, ceramics, and medals that celebrated or promoted them.

The Englishman Denis Johnson improved on von Sauerbronn's machine by making it lighter and easier to ride. Known as the hobby- or dandy-horse, it had an iron body. He promoted it by opening two schools where riding was taught and hobby-horses could be rented. Not surprisingly, the craze soon spread to America, where it was relatively short-lived.

Not until the 1860s were pedals and cranks incorporated into the velocipede. Three Frenchmen were actively engaged in making these improvements and it is unclear who should be credited as the first. The pedals made the rider's work less intensive, but were no answer for the bumpy roads that covered the European and American landscape - both urban and rural. In 1870 all velocipedes without rubber tires were accurately nicknamed "boneshakers." Legal efforts to ban their use on sidewalks, which were considerably smoother than the roads, were fruitless. In 1870, as the widespread popularity of the bicycle began to wane in France and America, the English stepped up to the plate. In that year the first high-wheel bicycle was patented in Coventry, England, by James Starley and William Hillman. These bicycles were so high that they could only be mounted while in motion, and were quite dangerous to operate. Yet by the next decade they had became the most popular form. Dangers were somewhat reduced with the introduction of high-wheel safety bicycles in America and England. These took the form of tricycles or modified high wheelers whose front wheels were smaller than the rear ones.

The next significant advance was achieved by the Scottish veterinary surgeon John Dunlop who invented the pneumatic tire, enabling riders to attain greater speed and a smoother ride. Inevitably all of these improvements made bicycles less expensive, allowing them to become the ubiquitous fixtures they are in households around the world today.

There is no catalogue for this exhibition.