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Metal box with Bicycle Design

National Museum of American History

Object Details

Description
In the 1890s the popularity of safety bicycles, which had smaller wheels than high-wheelers and were easier to ride, led to a social revolution. Women rode bicycles for the first time, men and women socialized on wheels, and millions of Americans took to the road for pleasure trips and practical purposes. These developments created a market for biking accessories like this decorative metal box. The images embossed on the lid – two well-dressed women, one wearing a skirt and the other wearing bloomers, biking on a dirt road near a village and a lake –symbolized the appeal of the biking revolution. Pleasure, speed, fresh air, and adventure were available for the price of a bicycle, and a new adventure lay around every bend in the road.
ID Number
1990.0294.06
catalog number
1990.0294.06
accession number
1990.0294
Object Name
box
Physical Description
metal (overall material)
Measurements
overall: 4 in x 2 1/2 in x 3 1/2 in; 10.16 cm x 6.35 cm x 8.89 cm
See more items in
Work and Industry: Transportation, Road
Transportation
Road Transportation
Exhibition
Object Project
Exhibition Location
National Museum of American History
National Museum of American History
Record ID
nmah_1138113
Metadata Usage (text)
CC0
GUID (Link to Original Record)
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ng49ca746a9-c3b4-704b-e053-15f76fa0b4fa

Related Content

  • Bicycles: Icons of Innovation and Mobility

There are restrictions for re-using this image. For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Terms of Use page .
International media Interoperability Framework
IIIF provides researchers rich metadata and media viewing options for comparison of works across cultural heritage collections. Visit the IIIF page to learn more.
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