Paris.Courses de Velocipedes, organisees au Benefice des Inondes du Midi, dans le jardin des Tuileries.

Title

Paris.Courses de Velocipedes, organisees au Benefice des Inondes du Midi, dans le jardin des Tuileries.

Representation of juggler and other artists on high-wheel bicycles.

ca. 1870

Artist

Tilly

Historical Description

In 1817, the German forest official Karl Drais invented the so-called “Laufmaschine” or draisine – the first two-wheeled, steerable vehicle without pedals. In the 1860s, French inventors developed the first pedal-powered bicycle – the “vélocipède”, also known as the “boneshaker”. Around 1885, the so-called “safety bicycle” was introduced, featuring equal-sized wheels, a chain drive, and pedal propulsion – the predecessor of the modern bicycle. In the following decades, the bicycle was further improved (e.g. with pneumatic tires and gears) and became a popular means of transportation worldwide.