by Victorian bicycle photos offer a rare glimpse into a time when cycling was new, daring, and a little bit radical. It was a time when bikes were the future. These historic photos show just how bold, stylish, and committed early cyclists really were. From women challenging social norms in bloomers to men balancing on absurdly tall penny-farthings, cycling in the 1800s wasn’t just transportation. Instead, it was rebellion, innovation, and pure obsession.
#1. 1885
In 1885, Will Robertson of the Washington Bicycle Club made history (and probably raised a few eyebrows) by riding an American Star Bicycle down the steps of the U.S. Capitol. The Star, with its small front wheel and large rear, was designed to reduce the risk of “headers” (over-the-handlebar crashes). Naturally, Robertson’s daring ride showed off both his skill and the growing confidence in bicycles as serious machines. It’s recognized as one of the earliest documented feats of fearless urban cycling in America.
#2. 1890-1910
The exact year is unknown, but this photo is of a bicycle assembly firm called O’Neill’s in Ireland. It always amazes me how well-dressed people in that era were.
#3. 1890s
Around 1890, Frances Benjamin Johnston took this self-portrait dressed in a fitted suit and cap. One of the first American women to build a career as a professional photographer, Johnston didn’t just work behind the camera. She used it to challenge expectations. With this photo, she played with gender roles, poked fun at Victorian norms, and made it clear she had no interest in playing by anyone else’s rules. The image still stands as a sharp, witty declaration of independence.
#4. 1895
Three women helping each other learn how to ride a bike. I just love how much fun they are having!
#5. 1910
In 1910, Octave Lapize won the first Tour de France stage in the Pyrenees. Like most riders, he carried spare inner tubes wrapped around his shoulders because the rough mountain roads often caused flat tires. As he struggled up the gravel-covered slopes of the Col du Tourmalet, Lapize reportedly shouted at a race official, “Vous êtes des assassins! Oui, des assassins!” The words translated in English: “You are murderers! Yes, murderers!”
#6. 1890
If you think riding a century is hard, imagine doing it on one of these bikes! This Victorian bicycle photo shows the Bay City Wheelmen at the outset of a Century (100-mile) Ride in 1890. San Francisco, California, USA.
#7. 1894
This photo of Henri Rudeaux and Lloyd Hildebrand was taken an 1894. The tandem pair held the world record for the 50 miles.
#8. 1876
Henri L’estrange, also known as the “Australian Blondin”, was a tightrope performer known for successfully completing a Middle Harbour tightrope crossing in Sydney, 1877.
#9. 1894-1895
#10. 1899
#11.1899
Riding bikes makes me smile like that, too! Though this little one definitely has more medals than I do.
#12. 1890
Around 1890, a bicycle ambulance operated in the Russian Empire to quickly transport injured people through crowded streets. The rider pedaled steadily while the patient lay on a stretcher mounted between the bike’s frame. This early design helped emergency responders reach those in need faster, long before motorized ambulances became common.
#13. 1897
New life goal: be as cool as one of these people. A bicycle party in Fenton, Missouri on September 1897.
#14. Unknown
I tried to find the real story behind this but don’t trust the accuracy of what I found. So let’s just enjoy the photo of these Victorian cyclists, in various states of aliveness.
#15. 1897
Taken in 1897 in Seattle, Washington, this photo shows Judge Woods’ home with Prof. Conn and Neil in the foreground. Notably, the log cabin at the center was the first building at Green Lake. Today, the sign marked “Woodlawn Ave” refers to what is now NE 72nd Street, and the gate stood at the northeast corner of 72nd and E Green Lake Way.
#16. 1897
Jerome J. Murif in 1897 with the bicycle he used to travel from Port Adelaide to Darwin. Touring bikes look a little different these days, don’t they?
#17. 1891
In 1891, William Sachtleben (left) and Thomas Allen (right) stand with guards at the Acropolis in Athens, Greece, as officials debate whether to let them enter the site with their bicycles. Can you imagine rocking up to the Acropolis today with your bike! Did they get in? Follow-up below.
#18. 1891
Success!
#19. 1894
Taken in 1894, this is the last known photo of cyclist and adventurer Frank Lenz.
An English cyclist by the name of Thomas Stevens had completed the first circumnavigation by bike in 1886. Inspired, Frank decided to make his own attempt at riding a bike around the world. Sadly, he disappeared in May 1894 in the Ottoman Empire, at the young age of 25.
#20. 1899
Around 1899, a man pulls a sled by bicycle near the summit of White Pass.
White Pass was one of the main routes used by Klondike Gold Rush prospectors traveling from Skagway to the Yukon.
#21. 1891
Check out this original text from the article that accompanied this photo.
“The consolidated lines at Butte are probably the only ones in the country which are actually helped by bicycle riding. But they are, and the ready appreciation of the situation by J. R. Wheaton, the general manager, (who kindly took the photograph for the illustration expressly for the Review ) has been turned to good account.
Butte is a city set on a hill or rather on a big mountain, and the cyclists who want good roads have to come down into the valley, and Mr. Wheaton carries them down and up by the hundred. He placed hooks all around his cars on one line and the novel scene pre-sented in our illustration is an almost hourly sight.Twenty and even more wheels are frequently carried atone time. No extra charge is made for the wheels;—only the regular fare for the wheelers.“
#22. 1895
Thames, New Zealand.
#23. 1891
Felix Frank and a group of boys with bicycles examine a Luft Hansa LFG V 130 aircraft in Hirschberg, Poland.
#24. 1894
Lisette Marton stands at the far left during her first major race in Cabourg, France, August 1894. Her husband, Emile Christinet, holds her bicycle beside her.
#25. 1896
A group of members of the Moscow Cyclists’ Circle received prize tokens for the greatest number of miles covered in public trips in 1895. As a result, this photo was published in 1896 in the magazine Cyclist.
#26. 1896
In 1896, the Stearns Sextuplets road a six-man bicycle in a race against the Empire State Express. The steam locomotive pulled four cars, roaring down the tracks while the cyclists hammered the pedals, testing human strength against machine power.
#27. 1899
#28. 1894-1895
I love everything about this.
#29. 1897
Check out this 1897 Victorian poem published in Good Roads magazine. Surprisingly, it shows just how similar some Victorian traits were to people today!
#30. 1895
