A RARE BUTTON BEAUTY? THE RASPBERRY RACE OF THE VELOCIPEDES

I never was a big one for Victorian metal picture buttons. Plenty have come my way over the years, and well... they're usually just okay.  That said, I like to add buttons to my collection that are odd and unusual and have a little weirdness. Kind of like me!  LOL  Usually, a button that has an interesting material tends to grab my attention (and my wallet) first.

I trip through the interwebz and auctions searching for fun things for my collection on lazy mornings when Cinderella (the name I gave my Neato robotics vacuum) is buzzing around on the floor doing my bidding and my work for me and Luna the Wonder Chihuahua is taking a nap in my lap.

A few weeks ago, while feeling particularly lazy and looking for some button fun, I came across this Large size, raspberry tinted beauty, almost hidden in the group of other antique buttons it was piled in with.

Large, 1-1/2"

WOW what is that?  A bicycle?  Nope, it has THREE wheels.  A TRICYCLE?  Hmmmm.  

Some buttons just make you go HMMMMMM.

This lovely button is a whopping 1-1/2" in size.  A nice large size Victorian era button.  The Raspberry colored tint is washed over the entire button's face.  The center design appears to be pewter on a textured white metal background which is also washed with tint.  The rim is brass, and tinted as well.  The back is japanned (black lacquered) tin with a wire loop shank.  For a tinted button, it's in remarkable condition.

Back View.  No verdigris on this old gal, 
just an odd reflection on bottom edge of the rim in the photo.

At first, I thought that this was some kind of a really early car?  Ahhh, I've got some research to do!

I see an article on-line written by Mr. Leon Dixon on how the early 3 wheel bicycle contributed to the development of the auto industry and I learn about the first Benz Patent Motorwagen, which also had 3 wheels.  More hmmmm.  The Benz vehicle sure looks like this vehicle!

So, I've paged through my Big Book of Buttons (a must have reference book) and probably 10 or 12 of my other old button books.  So far, I can't find any reference or photo to this button.  The only other button like it (same woman design) is a black glass button, shown in The Complete Button Book, Lillian Smith Albert and Kathryn Kent - p. 158, #14.    Nothing about the button is really mentioned but the material and the tricycle.

I do know that early collectors frequently found button designs that were based on historical events or artwork and wondered if this was one of those buttons.  I returned to look at the information in the Dixon article on the Benz, but also decide to find out if it's possible that this is a a tricycle.  I start by contacting the author of the article who hopefully will A) respond and B) take a look at the button because C) he knows about both of them.

Leon Dixon, (a legend among bicycle collectors, www.nbhaa.com) is a well known and respected authority on bicycle collecting.  He has been collecting since the 1953 and owns some of the rarest of bicycles and related ephemera ever made.  He was kind enough to email back almost immediately even though he was travelling.  You can see from the photo of the Benz (replica) why at first I connected it to the design.

He shared with me a contact name to his friend who operates the Automotive Driving Museum in El Segundo, California.  He also shared some points about why he didn't think it was a Benz Motorwagen (which was originally designed around the concept of the early 3-wheeled tricycle velocipedes).  I explained to him that the artistic license of a button designer (proportion, coloring, etc.) isn't always accurate, especially due to design space restrictions on buttons.

He knew that. :)

He said there was no possibility that this button it was a depiction of Bertha Benz taking the first long distance motorized vehicle trip in the Benz motorcar.

Zero.  

LOL  *shrugs*  Soooooo it is some kind of an early Tricycle Velocipede.  Okay, so my new button is "just" an artists interpretation of the wonderful beginnings of of women zooming around the roads on a 3-wheeled velocipede and escaping housework and drudgery.  Hmmm,

But I still think she's more special than just that!  

Mr,. Dixon had also mentioned that he has seen an artist's rendition of the EXACT design on this button.  Problem was, he was on the road travelling, and he didn't/couldn't tell me anything about what exactly that rendering was.  Advertisement?  Artwork?   That's okay, after all, I felt lucky he was spending any time with me on this button at all.

So... I looked (and looked, and looked) for something that would resemble the design of my button. Eight hours later, after a relentless Google search with mind numbing keyword changes and a few glasses of wine, I finally see this:

1868 HARPER'S BAZAR.  CAPTION READS: 
RACE OF THE VELOCIPEDES (BICYCLES AND TRICYCLES) IN THE BOIS DE BOULOGNE 
(Velocipede races were regularly held in a  large park in Paris, France)

Hooooooray!  WELL then, that solves the mystery!  She IS special!

The details all seem to match pretty perfectly!  I email Mr. Dixon one last time, and send him a photo of the Race.  He confirms that is the original artwork which he was referring to, and that it also has been used in other slightly different forms for bicycle related things over the following years.

BUT SHE NEEDS A NAME  

So, I hereby name this raspberry beauty RACE OF THE VELOCIPEDES (or Hellen's Headache, you take your pick)!  

So, I'll admit it.  I had a moment (or two) of a grand delusion when I FIRST thought that perhaps this was a rare pictorial memorializing Bertha Benz and the first cross country car ride in the Benz Patent Motorcar.  After a few email conversations, Mr. Dixon burst my bubble quickly and undid 3 days of research, LOL.  He knows his bicycle stuff... and he probably has more bicycle buttons than I do, or ever will.

So... I listened to him.

I sent a HUGE thank you to Mr. Dixon for not letting me ramble on here about Bertha and the Benz and for telling me that there really WAS something out there that was related to this button.  It gave me the kick in the arse I needed to do some good research.  I learned plenty (not to mention I can also now talk to you for hours about Bertha, Carl Benz and the Motorwagen).  *grin*

Interesting also is that he said this button could possibly be connected with Wolff-American (R.H. Wolff and Co. N.Y.), as the raspberry coloring is the same as the company used on their bicycles and tricycles.  I explained to him that this was a common tint color for buttons.  He called it "transparent ruby" and told me the metal tint color had a VERY famous connection to the Wolff-American bicycle and the company's associated items.  He cautioned me not to be too quick to discount its importance in the relationship to the W-A Company's cycles or a club.

I'm still looking...

A BIT ON BIKES

Tricycles weren't just for kids, actually they were first made in 1880 for old men and invalids as well as for women to enjoy.  The first 2 wheeled velocipede versions weren't very friendly towards women's fashion of the day, and the tricycle also offered more stability and comfort.  Several manufacturers made tricycle velocipedes during the 1880's and at first, the wealthy found them more acceptable and "proper" to have than a 2 wheel bicycle versions.

VELOCIMANIA

It was estimated that in 1897, between 1-1/2 and 2 million bicycles were manufactured just in the United States.  By 1900, the number was around 10 million.

Pressed Vegetable Ivory.  It's common to see this small size button priced at over $50 if in Good condition!

Fortunately, the bicycle wasn't limited to just a man's sport and woman soon flocked to the streets on the tricycle and then the bicycle.  Suddenly, women could travel a distance away from home and the bicycle opened the door for women's freedom.  It is said that the bicycle greatly contributed to the success of the suffragette movement.

Stereoview card:  "SEW ON YOUR OWN BUTTONS, I'M GOING FOR A RIDE."

"Let me tell you what I think about bicycling. It has done more to emancipate women than anything else in this world. It gives her a feeling of self-reliance and independence the moment she takes her seat; and away she goes, the picture of untrammeled womanhood. I stand and rejoice every time I see a woman on a wheel . . ."  -- Suffragette Susan B. Anthony in a speech given on Feb 2, 1896 - quoted in the New York World newspaper

As the bicycle changed and improved, more women wanted to ride the two-wheel bicycles and this really required that their clothing allowed a bit more movement.  Women's skirts, corsets and undergarments soon followed suit allowing women to take to the road.  The idea of "proper attire" for women also started to change, and bloomers for women slowly became an acceptable part of fashion with pants soon following to put a foot *uh... LEG* in the door for freedom and personal choice when it came to women's fashion.

Clothing manufacturers soon added special suits, gloves, leggings, union suits for both men and women, boots and a special waist to be worn by women while riding.  Special jewelry, buckles, skirt lifters and buttons were also made.

The lovely pictorial Victorian buttons of the day also started to reflect the joy of bicycling for both men and women made of almost every material.  Clubs and Leagues sprang up quickly and the groups wore special cycling clothing with buttons made for their organizations.

Cycling outfits. 1894

IF you know what you're looking for, you can probably also easily find a uniform looking button with the letters LAW and spokes which belongs to the League of American Wheelmen.  This early uniform button was worn by bicycle enthusiasts, c. 1890 and has several version since.  The design is still used by the club today, though they now also refer to themselves as League of American Bicyclists. This button may be identified as some kind of Air Force or foreign Military button because of the wings (and tossed into a poke box) by those who don't know the relationship of the design. Look for them while poking around!

League of American Wheelmen clothing button.
This organization was founded May 30, 1880 in Newport, Rhode Island.

Watch for other similar bicycle club/league buttons as well, as they'll usually have some kind of spoke radiating out from the center and a raised edge or rim which is the tire and many have the letters of the club they represent.  Some may be rather plain, with just radiating spokes, only hinting at a bike wheel.  Many collectors and dealers don't recognize them, and you may get lucky and pull a few from a poke box!

Tricycle similar to that shown on the button.

More history on the Tricycle can be found at the Tricycle Museum website.

Bicycle buttons, both antique and modern can be found fairly easily, but the antique versions are more scarce due to those who also collect bicycle ephemera are scooping them up!

There are High Wheeler or Penny Farthing bicycle buttons that were a popular motif in 1950-70 and those modern buttons can usually be found for just a dollar (or less, so don't pay too much!).  They also come in several versions, including one with a rider.  The Steam Punk movement may have made these later versions more popular today, so buy one now if you don't have it.  There are older versions of the High Wheeler, Penny Farthing and even Bone Breakers to be found, and those have the typical tin backs found on most Div I buttons.

Modern Theodore Gates Glass Watch Crystal studio button - 1970.
Antique Tricycle Toy made from a 1970 US 6 cent stamp.
Toy velocipedes became the rage for children almost immediately.

Early "Safety" style bicycle.
"Paris Back" Metal.
Albert Parent Company.  Marked AP&Cie Paris

Woodstock riding a bicycle.  Plastic, c. 1960-70

Modern cold enameled metal

More about buttons picturing Bicycles can be found in the following National Button Society Bulletins:  

February 2005:  The February 2005 issue has a fabulous color section full of Bicycle buttons, one of which is similar, but definitely has the same design elements as my button (it appears to be a later French White version, see below).  It's a wonderfully done article with great photos.  Here's a sample of it:

Closeup from the NBS bulletin of the slightly different version of my button.
I think this is  a French White reproduction  c. 1940

Also see NBS issues:.

February 2005 - Velocipedes by Herman Bangeman Jr.
May 1986 - Looking at Bicycle Buttons
January-February 1974 - Several member's trays of creative mounting showing bicycle buttons, related early advertising and pin back buttons.  Very interesting!

If you have any other information on the Race of the Velocipedes button, have seen it in a book, article, for sale at a Button Show (or have one in a different style, tint or size), I'd love to hear from you!

AND, if you love buttons, please consider following this blog.  I promise I've got loads of more buttony goodness coming up soon!

Comments?  Suggestions?  Leave one!

Interested in collecting button?  Check out the National Button Society on line!
Thanks for reading... really!
Vicky
P.S.  I'll just leave this video here for you, go on... you know you want to take a RIDE:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GugsCdLHm-Q