*** boys clothing with tricycles -- country trends







Tricycles: Country Trends

American tricycle
Figure 1.-- This portrait has no accompanying information. The background suggests to us that it is European rather than American. We would guess that it was french or Belgian, but have no way to make sure. It is also undated, we would guess that it was taken about 1920/ The child is a boy, probably about 4 years old.

We have begun to build some country information on tricycles. Note boys throughout Europe and North America riding trikes beginning in the late-19th century. They seems especially popular im America, refevting higher american wages and incomes. We have just begun to index HBC images here by country. We note a American boy photographed by a noted German photographer about 1900. The same photographer provides us anothr photograph of an American boy on a trike at about the same period. They were not as common in other countries as in America, but we see them in several European countries: England, France, and Germany. Trikes outside of America seem most common in Britain and Germany, but we see them in many other countries as well. The prevalence of tricycles like bikes seems to be a general reflection of living standards. Rather like hobby horses for younger children, they were most common among countries with high living standards.

America

We notice both bikes and trikes in the the United States during the late-19th century. We are not sure when they first appared. The trike appeared after bikes and were only for younger boys. A good example of an early trike is an unidentified boy in 1881. This is the earliest definitely dated American trike we have found to date. Almost all of the early trike images were studio portraits. The studios had trikes as props for photographing children. As family snsapshots were not yet common, we do not know how common they were. We suspect that they were an item only common in fairly affluent families. Early trikes had metal wheels which made for rather bumpy rides. They of course in the 20th century became a standard item for younger Amercan children, especially among the boys. We are not entirely sure what they were called at first, but notice Sears using the term Velocipede in a 1919 catalog. Several companies manufactured trikes, including American National, Radio Flyer, Schwin, and many others. I remember tectrike I had I got it in 1947, I think for my 5th birthdsy, It was quite a gift as items made wih metal and rubber so soon after the War were still difficult to get. I road it everywhere, ikncluding nto an irrigation dditch. Trikes like bikes were always of metal consruction until about the 1970s when plastic trikes appeared.

England

Tinkerers were expeimentiung with tricycles as early as the 17th century. The first mention we note of tricycles in England comes from a psatent (1818). It was a lever-driven and had rotary chain drive trike. They were not initislly a child's toy. The first children's trikes were wooden and most seem to be hime made. These wooden trikes began to bevome more common (1870s), we think because of the increasing prosperity. Bicycle manufacturrs began making cast iron and forged steel-framed tricycles about the same time. These early trikes were very expensive because they were hand made. They did not look like modern trikes. Terecwere several different wheel arragements. English sources report that there were almost two-dozen tricycle manufacturers that produced over 120 tricycle designs (late-19th century). Manufacturers for a a time nuilt more tricycles than bicycles. They were, however, expendsive because of the inefficient manufacturing processes. Expensive tricycles were a symbol of wealth. Mass produced trikes which brought prices down appeared after the turn-of-the 20th century. Strean lined trikes appeared with more modern-looking designs (1930s).

France


Germany

Younger German boys also enjoyed playing with tricycles. The three wheels provided the increased stability that younger children needed for these play vehicles. We see quite a few boys with tricycles. Not as many as in America, but more than in other European countries--except perhaps Britain. Most example we have seen are after World War I. The first ones we see seem very basic. We generally see boys rather than girls riding them. We notice sevefal different styles and features. There were also different types of trikes. had pedal drives. We also see some boys with a tricycle like toy, but without pedal drive. With trikes we mostly see the children as might be expected playing around the house.

Italy










HBC






Navigate the Boys' Historical Clothing Web Site:
[Return to the Main trike page]
[About Us]
[Introduction] [Activities] [Biographies] [Chronology] [Clothing styles] [Countries]
[Bibliographies] [Contributions] [Essays] [FAQs] [Glossaries] [Images] [Links] [Registration] [Tools]
[Boys' Clothing Home]



Navigate the Boys' Historical Clothing Web Site:
[Sailor suits]
[Sailor hats] [Buster Brown suits]
[Eton suits] [Rompers] [Tunics] [Smocks] [Pinafores]




Created: 6:28 AM 2/13/2017
Last updated: 12:31 PM 6/7/2018