Victorians, their Bicycles and their Pets – a Photographic Survey.

Victorians, their Bicycles and their Pets - A Photographic Survey 

 This link will take you to the introduction 

The invention of the bicycle literally started a revolution in the 19th century that changed many aspects of society. It raised a person’s quality of life, especially women who now had a new source of freedom that liberated them from the confines of the home. Susan B. Anthony, the American social reformer and women’s rights activist, wrote that the bicycle had done more to emancipate women than any other thing in the world.

Cyclists also became a political force that lobbied for the improvement of roads, and the factories that built bicycles paved the way for the development of the automobile. The bicycle became a form of personal transportation that made getting around much more practical for the general population. 

Bicycles also revolutionized women’s fashion. Victorian dress codes made it near impossible for all but the most daring women to ride one if they had any expectations of maintaining an air of respectability, so more rational and practical dress styles were developed.

The bicycle also influenced the arts by inspiring paintings, music, and literature. For a few years during the late Victorian period, the bicycle became the ultimate must-have item.

Another must-have item during the 19th century, especially in the United Kingdom, was a dog. The industrial revolution of the 19th century created a new, wealthy class of merchants who wanted to emulate the lifestyle of the upper classes. Since Queen Victoria had a small, King Charles Spaniel, dogs, especially small ones, became status symbols and a representation of the wealth of the owner.

Some of the many contributions Victorians bestowed upon the world were x-rays, postage stamps, photography, the radio, and the bicycle. They also gave us dog breeds. Owning a more exotic pedigree of dog gave the appearance that the owner had great wealth. Victorians came to love their pets and it was during this period that dog shows and many dog breeds were developed. Prior to this, dogs were viewed by their function, rather than their appearance. There were hunting dogs such as retrievers; dogs that were gentle and comforting companions; there were dogs that helped with farm work, such as sheep dogs; and what were called mongrels and rascals (dogs that were good as guard dogs).

During the nineteenth century, cities were expanding and many became ravaged by epidemics such as cholera, influenza and typhoid and they were unsanitary and unhealthy places to live. In response to this, the Victorian home became a venerated space and pets became an important part of the domicile.

To many Victorian women, a small dog became an indispensable companion as well as a fashion accessory. Many of their pets even had a valet or a maid that would groom and bathe it regularly. Victorians also saw a moral value to having a pet as it helped children learn kindness, commitment and caring  values.

The following is a gallery of images of people with both their bicycles and their pets. Not everyone pictured with a dog actually owned it. It was not uncommon for a photographer to have a pet dog that he used as a prop, to give his subjects the pretense of affluence. This was, after all, a society preoccupied with appearances.

Figure 1 -  Cabinet card of a cyclist with an early safety bicycle. Circa 1890.

Figure 2 – Cabinet card. Mid-1890s.

Figure 3 – Mid-1890s CDV.

Figure 4 – Cabinet card of a family homestead. No location indicated. Sometime in the 1890s.

Figure 5 – Cabinet card. 1890s.

Figure 6 – Late Victorian era cabinet card of a child on a tricycle.

Figure 7 – Oversized cabinet card of a cyclist with an early safety bicycle. Circa 1890.

Figure 8 – Cabinet card of a large family gathering. No location indicated. 1890s.

Figure 9 – Lovely CDV of a cyclist and her dogs. 1890s

Figure 10 – Mid-1890s cabinet card.

Figure 11 – Late Victorian era cabinet card.

Figure 12 – CDV of a young cyclist with an early safety bicycle. Circa 1890.

Figure 13 – A circa 1900 vernacular image of a father and his child. No location indicated.

Figure 14 – Cabinet card of a cyclist in a garden. Mid-1890s.

Figure 15 – Cabinet card from Pennsylvania of a young cyclist and her dog. Mid-1890s.

Figure 16 – Wonderful cabinet card of three cyclists in a studio setting. 1890s.

Figure 17 – Cabinet card of a young cyclist with her decorated bicycle. Decorated bicycles were a vital prop in parades and other community events. Sometime in the 1890s.

Figure 18 – Cabinet card of a young man and his cow. Not likely a pet but an unusual image of a cyclist with an animal. 1890s.

Figure 19 – Circa 1890 cabinet card of a young cyclist in a studio setting with a junior sized high wheel bicycle. Unusual to have a stuffed bird as a prop. From Providence, Rhode Island.

Figure 20 – Another unusual image. Looks to be from the late 1890s. Not sure if the barred owl is real or stuffed. 

Figure 21 – Late Victorian era cabinet card of an adorable child.

Figure 22 – Large image of a family group. No location indicated but appears to be of European origin. Circa 1900.

Figure 23 – Technically not from the Victorian period but still a fun real photo postcard scene from Whitmore Lake, Michigan, postmarked August 11, 1913. Message on the back sent to someone named Cora in Port Huron, Michigan. Just a look to show you I have not forgotten you and just a line in reply. Yours, Len. 

Figure 24 – Another postcard scene, this one of a hunter’s camp with dogs and bicycles. No location indicated. Circa 1910.

Figure 25 – A circa 1908 family group. No location indicated. L.W. Hatt, Sr., Ida Hatt, sons, left to right: Lewis W., Roll P., and Garrett.

26-Unposted, Circa 1915 French postcard of a man with his best friend.

27-Circa 1910 cyanotype. No other info available.

28-Circa 1900 cabinet card, identified on the back as Nora, Wisconsin. 

29-1880s cabinet card. Young man with an early wooden-spoked wheel tricycle. Identified on the back as Uncle Izzie, from Berthe and Chauncy. Photographer from Salt Lake City, Utah.

30-Oversized cabinet card of three young cyclists. Identified on the back as Mack (the dog) Brooks, Mable and Vivian Lincoln. No location indicated. Circa 1890s.

31-Two young lads and their iron-wheeled tricycles. No location indicated. Late 19th century.