Bicycles: Technology That Changed the World

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Flagler Museum

54” Eagle High Wheel Safety, 1890 Eagle Bicycle Manufacturing Company, Stamford, Connecticut. Keith Pariani Collection.

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.