Pope Columbia Safety Bicycle, 1889
Add to SetSummary
New "safety" bicycles, like this Pope Columbia, touched off a bicycle craze in the 1880s and 1890s. More stable with two same-sized wheels and less expensive than the high-wheeled "ordinaries," safety bicycles allowed many Americans to discover the sheer joy of riding.
New "safety" bicycles, like this Pope Columbia, touched off a bicycle craze in the 1880s and 1890s. More stable with two same-sized wheels and less expensive than the high-wheeled "ordinaries," safety bicycles allowed many Americans to discover the sheer joy of riding.
Artifact
Bicycle
Date Made
1889
Keywords
On Exhibit
at Henry Ford Museum in Driving America
Object ID
32.1022.1
Credit
From the Collections of The Henry Ford.
Material
Metal
Rubber (Material)
Chromium
Leather
Color
Black (Color)
Dimensions
Height: 46 in
Width: 28.5 in
Length: 73.5 in
Wheelbase: 43.75 in
Specifications
Make & Model: Pope Columbia Safety bicycle, 1889
Maker: Pope Manufacturing Company, Hartford, Connecticut
Speeds: 1
Brakes: rear-wheel handle brake
Weight: 51 pounds
Price: $135
Average 1889 wage: about $438
Time you'd work to buy this bicycle: about 4 months
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