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THBBirth of the Bicycle in 1819, Four & Twenty Hobby-Horses Aquatint
About Seller
6270 Este Ave.
Cincinnati , OH 45232
United States
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About Auction
LiveSep 8, 2017 - Sep 9, 2017
Cowan's Auctions dawnie@cowans.com
View Full Catalog (427)
- Lot Description
Colored aquatint, 16.25 x 10.75 in., 18.5 x 16.25 in. including margins. Four & Twenty Hobby-Horses All of a Row. London: R. Ackermann's Repository of Arts, May 1, 1819. With poem printed in lower margin by L. Harrison, which begins:
Hobby's the word, and, onward sliding,
All London Town is set a-riding:
But while we gaze, we must agree,
It can't be call'd a novelty.The verses that follow describe the various personalities depicted in the aquatint, from the parson and lawyer to the dandy and Quaker. Several actors in costume, some in black face, are also shown merrily riding their hobby horses.
Considered the ancestor to the modern bicycle, the hobby horse was invented by German Baron Carl Von Drais in France in 1817. The following year, it was introduced to England by Denis Johnson, a coachmaker of Long Acre, London, who described the machine as a '"pedestrian curricle" or "velocipede." With no pedals, the hobby horse had to be propelled by the rider pushing on the ground with his feet, and with no breaks included, it was necessary for the rider to drag his feet to slow down. Johnson opened riding schools where prospective buyers could learn how to use the machine, and by 1819, hobby horse riding was all the rage in fashionable London society. This rare aquatint was produced at the height of the popularity of the hobby horse, the machine that would lead directly to the invention of the bicycle.
Condition
Vertical line of damage just to right of center of print, with some areas of separation along this fold line, with some tape repairs. Horizontal fold along bottom portion, just below publication line and above poem. Some foxing, staining throughout. Attractive nevertheless.
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