A drawing of a "dandy horse", a precursor of the modern bicycle.
The celerifere or velocifere was invented in France c 1790. Introduced to Britain, they became known as "hobby horses" or "dandy horses", the latter name referring to the fact that few people other than young dandies were willing to ride them (or could afford the high price of purchasing one!). The dandy horse consisted of two wheels and a seat, and the rider propelled it along the road with his legs while seated on the cross bar. Without suspension or pneumatic tyres, and on rough roads, it must have provided the rider with a bumpy and uncomfortable ride!
Reference: GC 941.435 OLD
Reproduced with the permission of Glasgow City Council, Libraries Information and Learning
Keywords:
bicycles, dandies, dandy horses, fashions, hobby horses, velocipedes
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