Columbia Bicycle Poster The Pope Mfg Co Boston – Vintage Cycling Poster Wall Art.

Columbia Bicycle Poster The Pope Mfg Co Boston – Vintage Cycling Poster This is a superb reproduction print of one of the earliest colour stone lithographic posters produced. Known as the Columbia Bicycle Poster the vintage cycling poster was originally published in 1884 by the Pope Manufacturing Company. The poster advertises a Penny Farthing type bicycle called the Columbia Bicycle that was manufactured in Boston, Massachusetts. The image, created by an unknown artist, features a cyclist riding a penny farthing. The elegant, well-to-do gentleman is thought to be Albert A. Pope the founder of the Pope Manufacturing Company. He is shown making his way leisurely around a cycle path at a park. Other wheelmen, as riders of the penny farthing were originally known, are also shown on the pathway along with horse-drawn carriages. Surrounding the image are small declarations of advantages and benefits of owning a Columbia Bicycle. Our favourite is the claim that the  is “an ever saddled horse which eats nothing” 1 Mile in 2 minutes, 43 seconds by John Keen. The border also includes several of the achievements made on a high-wheeler in the short period of time since it was invented. These include the fastest time achieved, to that point, over a distance of 1 mile. The ride was made by John Keen a Worcester born sports cyclist from England in 1878. Keen, known as “Happy Jack” gained an international reputation both as a professional sports cyclist and a manufacturer of bicycles. According to Wikipedia, Keen raced over a number of distances. In 1872, he was recorded as having ridden ten miles in less than 36 minutes. In 1874 he rode 50 miles in 3 hours and nine minutes. In May 1873 Keen, introduced larger wheeled bicycles to France at the championships in Lyon where wheel sizes up to 45 inches had been the norm. The article continues to say “Keen frequently competed against Fred Cooper for the One Mile Professional Championship. An athletic newspaper at the time reported that 12,000 people attended a meeting at Wolverhampton to see the two men race. 300 Miles in 26 consecutive hours by C. Terront. Charles Terront was France’s first major cycling star. He won sprint, middle distance and endurance events in Europe and the United States. In September 1891 he won the first Paris-Brest-Paris cycle race. It was run over a distance of 1,196 kilometres (743 mi) which was more than double the length of any previous event. He went on to win 54 major events over his 15-year career. He was  ‘Champion of France’ twice and ‘Champion of Great Britain’ twice. The event that the Columbia Bicycle cycling poster refers to is Charles Terront’s successful ride in London in 1873. Terront had entered the Six Days’ International Bicycle Tournament cycle race held at the Agricultural Hall, Islington, London. Terront went on to win covering a distance of 363 miles (according to the poster) or 339 miles (according to Wikipedia) in a 26 hour period (poster), 24 hour period (wiki). Other records recorded on The Pope Mfg Co Boston Vintage Cycling Poster include C. Wallers 1404 cycle ride in 6 Days, E Costen and E Smythe’s achievement of 205 miles in 22 hours on the Turnpike Road. It also includes F.E.Appleyards Bath to London run completing 100 miles in 2 hours 18 minutes and W.S. Britten’s two way London-Bath-London run covering the 212 Miles in 22 hours 55 minutes. Not to be outdone by British record holders the American company was able to include G.T. Francis’s record time of a quarter mile being cycled in 38 5/8 seconds at Boston’s own Chestnut Hill. Other Vintage Cycling posters Ordinary