While this is not directly related to wet-plate photography, we’ve slowly been working on my 1909 Crown Cyrus safety bicycle, also known at the time as a freedom machine, for women. to an extent, both the camera and the bicycle played a major role in the suffrage movement. Camera’s were now being marketed towards women,  along with the ability to move freely about on the bicycle –

with the small compact carry camera, also came what was called the cycle camera, a style of camera designed specifically to be carried and often mounted to a bicycle. haven’t once been an avid cyclist, I thought it would be neat to mount our Gennert Cycle camera on a period style safety bicycle that, I could use to at wheelmen rides and events, or things like tweed rides, along serving as an occasional prop.

you can read a more about our camera, under wood & brass cameras, here on BBHPhoto’s page.

recently, we were able to acquire some pedals for the bicycle, and have been looking for a period style camera mount for the bicycle, as part of that I took the bicycle outside and took a few different photo’s, and hear they are.

The tri-pod is an early 1900’s Kodak #2 tripod, it’s case is on the ground, along with a period camera case, they were often strapped to different parts of the bicycle or simply worn cross body – thus far with the exception of the basket the bicycle is completely decked out using early 1900’s items, the tires will be ordered later this year.