Thursday, June 24, 2010

Victor Bicycles - Overman Wheel Co. - Part 3

This is the last day of three for the Victor Bicycles advertising booklet. Just a few more pictures. This is the back cover of the booklet:


It seems that buying a Victor bicycle ensured that repairs were quick and easy. Look at all of the equipment you need to repair the other bike! If only those people had had the sense to buy a Victor bike. Speaking of equipment, these football players aren't wearing any helmets.


And the female tennis players might be surprised to see what Venus Williams wears when she plays tennis.


 

Run fox, run!

Although I couldn't determine who created these beautiful illustrations, I did notice that this particular booklet was stamped B.E. Pudney, Bicycle Agency, Sidney, New York. What's interesting to me about that is that B.E. Pudney was also a postcard publisher.  Perhaps B.E. got caught up in the cycling craze along with everyone else. I found a New York Times article from 1895, that listed the names of cyclists suspended by the League of American Wheelmen for competing in unsanctioned events on the Sabbath. Some of them were suspended for as long as two years! The article also listed race meets for which sanctions had been granted, including one on September 12th, sponsored by B.E. Pudney.

8 comments:

  1. These are really great cards. Thanks for sharing them.

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  2. The images are beautiful. The ad at top seems to imply that the choice between The Victor Way and "Other Ways" is as stark as that between salvation and damnation. Woe to Schwinners!

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  3. These is such a great postcard !!!

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  4. I really enjoyed the Victor booklet. The illustrations are great, but I'm surprised they didn't catch the typo at the end (posslble)!

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  5. I didn't even notice the typo until you pointed it out!

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  6. I noticed the typo, but that's because I had so much extra time on my hands after fixing the flat on my Victor in just 5 minutes! I'm sure that if I had owned a different brand, I never would have had the time to learn to read at all... Not sure how it could take you 10+ times as long to fix one flat over the other, but those darn marketers will try anything.

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  7. Love seeing the early ads, and the brochure is priceless. Thanks!

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  8. If only the adverts of today - which seem to endlessly fall through my letter box - were undertaken with a tenth of the style of this.

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