Welcome back Alan. I've picked up on the hats in this week's Sepia Saturday post, and delved deep into my postcard collection for this one. The postcard is unused and has no publisher details, so unfortunately I don't know the date or location. It does looks slightly odd however in that the tyres of the bike look a bit too modern for the style of bike and style of dress.
Lady on a bike
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Great card. My Great Uncle Fowler had a small collection of cards similar to this, most of which he had written "my favourite girl" on the back of. Needless to say they were all of different girls. It's good to be back, my friend.
ReplyDeleteIt’s a great shot but I think you’re right to be a wee bit suspicious. There’s something not quite right about it and it feels more ‘modern’ than it should. The mystery deepens!
ReplyDeleteThat's beautiful, I love her dress :-)
ReplyDeleteI always say I was born in the wrong century XD
Here in Italy, in the beginning of 1900 and even before the 50s you could see bikes like that and still people dressing like in the other century :-)
We have dispute in this household now. OH disagrees with me and pointed me in the direction of lots of equally shiny machines on google. He says if it was new, and she had recently acquired it, then it would indeed have been shiny! He thinks the wheels would have been nickel electro-plated, hence the shine. It’s just that we expect dull in old photos. I will concede. There’s certainly lots of compelling evidence on the internet.
ReplyDelete@Little Nell - Wow! You guys know your vintage bikes. Nickel electro-plated wheels sounds plausible and probably explains the shininess.
ReplyDelete@Alan - your Great Uncle Fowler sounds intriguing.
It seems like the long skirt would get tangled up with the bike and the big hat would blow off if she tried to rice in that outfit.
ReplyDeleteI meant "ride" not "rice!"
ReplyDeletePostcardy, that's what I decided before you corrected yourself. I've been known to make typos! whether it is sensible or vintage or not, I love it!
ReplyDeleteI suppose that back in time if they dressed to go to the beach why not dress up with hat to ride a bike. Nice photo with the grand hat!
ReplyDeleteMaybe it was one of those costumes and props you choose as a souvenir photo. I love the outfit.
ReplyDeleteQMM
That looks just like the bike I had to ride in the 1960s after the local coal man ran over mine. He gave me the replacement bike; I was never very comfortable riding it - perhaps the basket on the front didn't help.
ReplyDeleteGreat card. Ding that bell!
Well, it’s not me. It’s him. I pointed it out to him (with a finger of suspicion) and he poo-pooed the idea. He’s an engineer (retired) and always looks for the logical explanation!
ReplyDeleteHer hat could be tied on but all those flowing skirts, I don't know. Perhaps she was posing.
ReplyDeleteYears ago I met a lovely elderly woman who grew up in the Pennines of Britain, who described the liberation the bicycle brought to her as a young girl. This captures that thrill.
ReplyDeleteI think this is a classic bike photo of the time. The bicycling craze really took off in the 1890s. I have a number of studio images of people on their bicycles and of bicycle advertising. And yes, those women rode with long skirts and hats. This is a great shot.
ReplyDeleteLovely picture! The bike does look more modern than she does, but perhaps it's just new. What a shame there's nothing written on it.
ReplyDeletemaybe someone closer to us played dress-up with her mother/grandmother's dress and hat. love that footstool so she could really stand upright.
ReplyDelete:)~
HUGZ
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need i say more?
:D~
That hat looks suspiciously like a rather large oyster shell. Perhaps she's been to the seashore on that bike?
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