Victor Bicycles - Overman Wheel Co.

We're taking a break from postcards for the next three days. Instead, let's look at an antique bicycle advertising booklet from the late 1800s.  Here's the front cover:

Inside are many additional beautiful color pictures and sepia illustrations with music.

The illustration below shows "Victoria - Queen of Safeties", which is a reference to safety bicycles.  The safety bicycle replaced the penny-farthing design, which had a big front wheel and was prone to catapulting the rider over the handlebars. The new design made cycling safer and much more appealing for women and men alike, and helped to create the cycling craze of the 1890s.



Throughout the booklet, bicyclists are shown in association with other outdoor sports, including swimming, rowing, sailing, baseball, football, lacrosse, tennis, and hunting.

From 1883 until 1901,  Albert H. Overman's Wheel Co. manufactured the Victor bicycle. From what I can tell, the business did well for a number of years. Victor bicycles were a major player in the bicycle craze at the end of the century. But in 1901 Overman Wheel Co. was declared insolvent, and Overman lost his entire investment.

More illustration and information from this advertising booklet in tomorrow's post.

Fire Engines and Fire Hydrants - Elmira, New York

The distinctive American-La France fire engines are still around today. The headquarters and manufacturing were located in Elmira, New York until the mid 1990s;  now they are located in South Carolina.  I am not a big fan of motorized vehicles in general, but some of the old fire engines are really very beautiful. It's not surprising that there are fire engine enthusiasts, but you may be surprised to know that there is a national organization called the Society for the Preservation and Appreciation of Antique Motor Fire Apparatus in America (SPAAMFAA) with about 50 chapters nationwide! You too could be a member and probably get a great t-shirt.

The Kennedy Valve Co., founded in 1877, manufactured fire hydrants and was also located in Elmira (and still is!)  Elmira was the one-stop-shopping place for all of your fire-fighting needs. If you didn't think fire hydrants could be beautiful and interesting, take a look at this page from the fire hydrant website. You will notice that the pictured hydrants are marked by location, with some designated as being in a private collection. Yes, there are people who collect fire hydrants. I don't have any desire to collect them, but since I looked at this card, I started paying a little bit more attention to them and noticed that several of the hydrants in our neighborhood in Oregon were manufactured by the Kennedy Valve Co. in Elmira. Unfortunately, now my neighbors have seen me taking pictures of fire hydrants and are probably convinced I've lost my mind. The relentless Oregon rain will do that; I'm not even sure we need fire hydrants here.

Streetcar Sunday - Seattle, Washington

Seattle had horse-drawn streetcars on unpaved streets as early as 1884, but only five years later, Seattle was the first West Coast city to convert to electric streetcars. Streetcar service was booming then, but already started declining in the 1920s. In 1939, interurban train service between Seattle and Everett was suspended. Seattle residents wanted to retain streetcar service, but the financing was allegedly blocked by automakers. And in 1941, the last Seattle streetcar completed its final run.

Like many other cities, Seattle looked at reintroducing streetcar service. As early as 1974, City Councilman George Benson proposed a streetcar line. It was discussed for a long time, and service was re-introduced in 1982, with additional expansions since then. To find out more about the current system, visit Seattle Streetcar.

Here's the back of the card:

Here's another view of Pioneer Place in Seattle: