St Hilaire Cyclist is first past the Post!

And, of course, in those days when you won the local cycle race, you were whipped off to the photographers studio to have your portrait taken. Here, Henri Petit of St Hilaire who won the race by 15 minutes poses with his bike. I note his bicycle only had one brake.

Girl with a Bicycle

Is it me or is the pose of this young women slightly risque for the period it was photographed - the early 1900s? She's very confident. Perhaps the photographer is her fiance? What do you think?

Look out Toto!

This is another recent purchase. It depicts a young woman posing on her bicycle in the 1900s. Thankfully today, people can be less formal with their attire! What has struck me is just how much she resembles Dorothy's nasty neighbour, Almira Gulch, in that magnificent movie The Wizard of Oz! I can just see her pedalling along with a small dog trapped in the cycle basket.

Proud as Punch

I can remember how proud I was when I got my first bicycle and judging by the expression of this woman's face, she was pleased as well. It is a very swish machine for its day. Can you remember your first bicycle and the joy of riding around the neighbourhood? Oh what joy!

Raising the Bar!

I've been thinking about my previous post 'Doggy Day' and the photo of the Inventor with his jack russell in a canvas carrying bag behind the handlebars. Great photograph, but something troubled me. I had another look and was stunned at the height of the frames top tube - the part that runs between the handlebar and the saddle. It is above the height of the cyclists navel and the word 'pain' came to me when I thought of the consequences of dismounting badly! Perhaps, this is why early cyclists would scoot with one foot on a pedal and then cock their leg over the saddle to mount the moving cycle - reversing the process when dismounting. Ouch!

Three on their Bikes

This family snapshot shows a trio of young cyclists during the 1930s. There is disparity in the sizes of the bicycles and I'll leave it to you to decide who drew the short straw . . . That said, I bet they had some fun on the bikes. Siblings or cousins? The two on the right could be twins, so similar are their faces. The photograph was printed by Drewett's Photographers of 31 North Street in Guildford.

Just A Boy On A Bicycle

This boy is happy. It is his birthday. He is 11 and is wearing long trousers for the first time to get used to them when he goes to senior school in September. He smiles broadly because he has been given his first ever bicycle of his own. Second hand it may be, but he doesn't care. He is now an independent traveller for the first time! He loved that bike and rode it for hours and hours. Who is he? Why he is me! Oh, how I wish I was a time traveller and could go back to that day and relive it again. Nostalgia is a powerful thing and I could cry as I remember what a wonderful, joyous, happy childhood I had . . .