This unusual, unidentified tricycle is one of the few adult machines of the velocipede era to be found in United States collections. It has tentatively been dated at about 1875 because its general construction agrees with that of early velocipedes and with patent drawings of the early and...

Distant farms feed the urban market. Visit Washington’s busy streets and see the varied ways people get around the city. Learn how the streetcar opens a path to the suburbs.

This illustration appeared in a newspaper some time after the introduction of the modern Safety bicycle (mid 1880s).

This bicycle was donated to the Smithsonian in 1929. It is apparently the only bicycle of its kind, and was probably built for James C. Anderson, the patent holder, by a local machinist. In spite of the quality of the workmanship, this is a most awkward machine, and those accustomed to riding...

From a collection of 1,520 buttons on environmental themes, assembled over a thirty-year period by Dr. Gerald H. Meral, the Executive Director of the Planning and Conservation League (PCL) and the Planning and Conservation League Foundation in Sacramento, California. Meral earned his...

This helmet was worn by the donor, an avid bicyclist, in 1979. Cyclists have always been concerned about head injuries. In 1975, Bell Helmets Inc. manufactured one of the first effective safety helmets for cyclists using a polystyrene foam liner covered by a lexan hard shell.

An early group of Safety cyclists using rail attachments to enjoy a smooth ride on a spur line of the Pittsburgh and Western Railroad, between Cluffs Mills and McCrays, Pennsylvania, in the 1890s.

This boy's Ordinary bicycle was donated to the Smithsonian in 1959. It was purchased in New York City in 1885 by the father of the donor. No markings can be found that identify the maker, and it is not safe to make assumptions, yet the similarity to it of the 10-dollar Otto cycle of this size,...

During the early 20th century, Louis Chevrolet was a well known racecar driver who aspired to owning his own automobile company. William Durant, a partner at the Durant-Dort Carriage Company ( the nation's largest carriage company), was looking to branch into automobile manufacturing and...

Safety bicycles built in small children's sizes were somewhat uncommon during the 1890s. This cycle, however, is a fairly typical example of those that were made, and was used by the donor in October of 1897 when he was 3 1/2 years old. While no markings identify the maker, it is believed to...