In the 1890s, Thomas Allen and William Sachtleben set out on a tour of the world with two brand new inventions: The “safety” bicycle to carry them and a Kodak film camera.
Thursday, Seattle Public Library hosts bicycle historian David Herlihy, who will discuss the 1890s trip and some recently-recovered photos from their journeys in Asia Minor.
The event starts at 7 p.m. and is free. Details from SPL:
Author and bicycle historian David V. Herlihy will discuss a selection of photos from UCLA’s Special Collections.
In 1890, two American college graduates set off to circle the globe on new-fangled “safeties” (the prototype of the present-day bicycle), armed with another remarkable novelty: the compact Kodak film camera.
Miraculously, over 120 years later, hundreds of photographs they took in Asia Minor during their second year on the road have come to light.
Herlihy is the author of “Bicycle: the History” and “The Lost Cyclist: The Epic Tale of An American Adventurer and His Mysterious Disappearance.”
Comments
One response to “Thursday: Downtown Library hosts bicycle historian and recovered 1890s bike touring photos”
So cool! One of the first ever bike-tours. Do you think it’s coincidence that the compact camera came into use around the same time as people were out exploring on bikes? No, it must be meant to be!