Fall Exhibition

Bicycles: Technology that Changed the World

October 17 - December 17, 2023
Free with Museum Admission

The Flagler Museum’s fall exhibition, Bicycles: Technology that Changed the World, highlights the development and evolution of the bicycle and the profound impact bicycles had on American society and culture.

Bicycles emerged during the Gilded Age as a revolutionary means of transportation and leisure, allowing individuals to move freely and easily, without the burden and expenses associated with acquiring and maintaining horse and carriage.

At its peak, in a single year, the bicycle revolution in the United States resulted in nearly three hundred companies producing more than a million bicycles, making it one of the Nation’s largest industries. From the earliest prototypes of the 1860s to the sophisticated designs of the 1890s, the Flagler Museum’s fall exhibition offers an unparalleled opportunity to see many rare examples of early bicycles and to understand their tremendous impact on American society and culture during the Gilded Age. 

The Fall Exhibition is sponsored in part by:
  
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Image captions, Left: 50” Victor High Wheel, 1889, Overman Wheel Company, Chicopee, MA. Collection of Keith Pariani.

Center: Pope Manufacturing Company, Columbia 56” Expert High Wheel, 1886. Collection of Keith Pariani. Photo: Rob Futrell. 

Right: American Star High Wheel Safety Bicycle, 1883, H.B. Smith Machine Company, Smithville, NJ. Collection of Keith Pariani.