Description
Velocipedes are early bicycles with a slightly larger front wheel than back wheel, first developed in Paris in 1863. A New York Times article from 1869 documents the craze for riding two-wheeled velocipedes, as the cycles were known. Titled “The Velocipede Furor,” the article explains that the Central Park Commissioners had not yet decided whether to allow them into the park, while those of Brooklyn’s Prospect Park had “already taken measures to gratify the army of velocipedists who are preparing to invade the Metropolis and its suburbs this Spring.” The article also reports that American carriage-makers, seeing a business opportunity, were rushing to produce the cycles.
F. Sala was a German publisher of lithographs based in Berlin in the mid through late 19th century. They produced portraits, religious and genre subjects, and scenes from literary works.
Full publication information: Berlin. F. Sala & Co. Unter d. Linden 51.
Condition: A large, apparently rare print. Generally very good, recently professionally cleaned, deacidified, flattened; now only with light remnants of toning, wear, handling, soft creases. Few short marginal tears and chips restored, unobtrusive, as backed on Japanese tissue for support, and mostly can be rematted out.
References:
Amos, Amanda and Margaretha Haglund. “From social taboo to ‘torch of freedom’: the marketing of cigarettes to women.” Tobacco Control. 2000. Vol. 9, pp. 3-8. Online at: http://tobaccocontrol.bmj.com/content/9/1/3.full (3 July 2012).
Nunes, A.C. and R. Vincent. “Bicycle — Historical Outline.” 11 April 2002. URI Physics Department. http://www.phys.uri.edu/~tony/bicycle/bikehist.html (3 July 2012).
“The Velocipede Furor.” 15 February 1869. The New York Times. Online at http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9F01E1DA1E3AEF34BC4D52DFB4668382679FDE (3 July 2012).
