crank_addict

crank_addict

SpeedofLite 

Aww Man, I thought this was Zippy. I'm so disappointed.

JohnDThompson 

Yeah, I just got back from Cuba a few weeks ago. Lots of rod-brake Chinese bikes there. Also lots of other more modern Chinese bikes in various stages of decrepitude. And lots of innovative end-user modifications to make bikes more universally useful. And met some roadies in Havana riding pretty modern carbon fiber bikes.

crank_addict

RobbieTunes 

If I remember correctly, there was a comic book called CAT 5. I think I sent one or two (or the scans) to @Poguemahone. One of them parodied Grant Petersen a bit.

Some of you may remember a few strips from Calvin & Hobbes.... his dad was bike guy, and they played on that them a few times.

That's all I got.

gearbasher

Here's a Calvin and Hobbes plus a couple more:

noglider 

@crank_addict, how do you curate these?

crank_addict

crank_addict

1898 plus a few from Illustrated Police News

crank_addict

T-Mar

I’m familiar with this advertisement, having first seen it, circa 1974, in an art book at a University book store. It was created by Decam in 1897 and is based on Gérôme's famous work of the previous year. Lost in the underexposure at the bottom of the poster is the commissioner, Le Vélo- Caténol. Both works are based on an old French proverb, "La Verité sort du puits’, which translates to, “The Truth comes from wells” and can be paraphrased as having to dig deep to get to the bottom of things. The poster title itself, “La Vérité Assise”, means, “The Truth Established”.

The illustration, as appropriated by Decam, contains two recurring themes in early cycling advertisements, the bicycle as liberator of the female sex and the bicycle as panacea for the ills of an ever increasingly industrialized world.

In the Gérôme work, the naked female represents Truth coming out of the well. In classical painting, Truth is typically depicted naked, to signify purity of thought. There are a couple of stories as to the origin of the Naked Truth but I will not delve in them, as in the Decam poster uses nudity in another context. Nude females or those clad in diaphanous garments, were quite common in 1890s cycling advertisements and were not intended to be sexually stimulating. Nor were they aimed at male consumers. They were aimed directly at females and symbolized the appealing, liberating effect of bicycles. Until the arrival of the pneumatic tyred safety bicycle in the 1890s, the female figure was hidden under corsets, layers of pettycoats and floor length dresses. The bicycle ushered in the first reform in female fashion, freeing the female form with less restrictive garments, notably bloomers. More importantly, the bicycle allowed young females the freedom to venture away from under the watchful eyes of parents and chaperons. Early Edwardian era feminists considered the bicycle a symbol of independence and an activity where they were of equal status in a male dominated society. Consequently, in this case, the nudity represents female independence, freedom and reform attributable to cycling.

In the 1890s the bicycle was seen as a benevolent machine, potentially capable of curing the ills of the industrial world. This was another theme exploited in advertising of the era. This aspect is symbolized by the crankset and chain of the well's winch mechanism. The bicycle allows the common man to achieve what is at the bottom of the well and really important in life, physical health and mental health. The latter was achieved by being able to escape the dreary city and rejuvenate himself with the pleasures of the countryside. In this context, the bicycle chain attached to the female leg is not a restraint but symbolizes the bicycle as the link between female liberation and personal well being.

Of course, the advertising also makes the claim that the Caténol bicycle has been established as The Truth (i.e. the purest or best bicycle). The female looks like she's just come to that revelation.

If some of the symbolism sees obtuse, that was part of commercial illustration at the time. Most illustrators were classically trained and it was believed that art should demonstrate reticence, causing the viewer to think and use his imagination. Some of this belief continued into early advertising and the subject poster is an example of the approach, being based on a piece on classical art. If the artwork positively stimulates the mind, the product becomes more attractive by association.

JohnDThompson 

That was my first thought as well. But here's something:

SpeedofLite 

Ahhhhh, much better. Thank you.

Lemond1985

That was a major miscalculation there, at least in my case.

bikeaddiction1

crank_addict

Terrific write, T-mar. Weird today that such a piece bothers people and so vastly misunderstood. Gawdforbid if one pointed this art to a granddaughter or old lady at the coffee house. Probably would be called in to the authorities. Lol

Yet fascinating how the humble bicycle machine and these subject matters reach everyone but also in different meanings.

To see what the artist is conveying can wildly swing one viewing as whimsical, cute, cultures to appallingly outrage. All part of history and our life with the bicycle.

-------

crank_addict

Creepy in a sort of way... the Mothman

crank_addict

crank_addict

WWII

crank_addict

How Mister Magoo warped kids into adulthood.

T-Mar

The only item in the poster that would have been considered scandalous at the time, would be the depiction of the navel. We laugh at that now but consider than Barabra Eden had to have hers covered in I Dream of Genie, even as late as the mid-1960s. In this case the bared navel was probably accepted as a concession to the piece of fine art of which the poster was based.

T-Mar

Further to my 2nd previous post, I offer what I personally consider to be the definitive example of turn of the century bicycle advertising aimed at females and promoting the liberating aspect of cycling for the fairer sex. The semi-nude figure and diaphanous garment carry the recurring symbolism of woman freed from the constraints of traditional Victorian fashion. The low angle also symbolizes how the bicycle can elevate the status of women, and allow them to reach the stars, which in this case also symbolizes the Sirius brand. It also effectively imparts the desirable bicycle qualities of speed and lightness but perhaps best of all, the character's expression and pose display unbridled joy and freedom, something that females were desperately striving for in the era. Still, the artist must bow some decorum, with the cyclist being depicted sidesaddle to hide the genitals and a thin strap of material covering what would be considered a scandalous navel. FYI, the poster dates to 1899 and was created by Henry Gray for a Sirius bicycle dealer in Paris. The brand itself originated in Germany.

Lemond1985

My guess is, that would be the goddess Mixte, inventing the woman's bike, so that women wouldn't need to ride side-saddle any more.

crank_addict

Naked bike ride is once again popular. Sponsor by Pirelli