1890S AMERICAN BICYCLE CRAZE

Bigelow & Dowse Co. (fl. 1839–1920s) ; Sole New England Agents

B. & D. Special Copley and Park Flyer Bicycles Catalogue [1899 Boston Trade Literature]

Boston Mass. Bigelow & Dowse Co., 1899.
A turn-of-the-century trade presentation showcasing the height of the American bicycle craze and the rapid commercialization of the safety bicycle. 
Issued at a critical juncture in leisure transport history, this catalog outlines detailed specifications for three premium regional lines: the B & D Special, the Park Flyer, and the ultra-scarce Copley line, which operated exclusively during the year 1899. 
It documents the late-Victorian transition toward standardized consumer athletics, featuring specialized mechanics for adult road racers and children's models sourced from the Fay Bicycle Company.

KEY FEATURES
+++ Visuals: Elaborately illustrated throughout with detailed technical wood engravings demonstrating frame configurations, gear layouts, and drop-handlebar profiles for specific models.
+++ Binding: Original stiff illustrated stapled wraps; retaining bright, clean corporate lithographic cover design.
+++ Content: Exhaustive parts pricing, mechanical dimensions, and optional upgrades for the B & D Special, Park Flyer, and Copley lines, including technical agent data for Ohio-manufactured Dayton Bicycles.
+++ Imprint: Bigelow & Dowse Co., Boston, Massachusetts, 1899.
+++ Specs: 8.5 x 8 inches; 12 pages, complete.
+++  Unmarked domestic copy completely free of library stamps or industrial workshop notation.

CONDITION: Fine. A remarkably bright and well-preserved specimen. The stiff paper wraps remain clean, flat, and structurally sound, with no fading to the lithographic ink. The staples are secure and completely free of oxidation or rust transfer. Internally, the pages are crisp, bright, and untouched, completely without flaw, marks, or the heavy thumb-soiling typical of late 19th-century hardware and trade literature.

HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE --
By the late 1890s, the American landscape had been utterly transformed by the bicycle boom. The introduction of the safety bicycle—featuring two equal-sized wheels and a chain-driven rear axle—replaced the dangerous, high-perch ordinary bicycle, democratizing cycling for women, children, and the broader urban public.

This 1899 catalog from Boston hardware powerhouse Bigelow & Dowse documents the peak of this cultural frenzy. Rather than acting as a simple order sheet, the volume showcases how traditional industrial jobbers adjusted their entire distribution frameworks to accommodate the mass-market demands of seasonal sports and athletic leisure.

The inclusion of specialized youth models from the Fay Bicycle Company emphasizes the expanding nature of the late-nineteenth-century consumer market, demonstrating that bicycle ownership had transitioned from an elite hobby into a standardized family fixture.

SCHOLARLY FEATURES
+++ Design: Captures late-Victorian athletic marketing layouts, pairing bold typography with isolated mechanical profiles to emphasize structural lightweight speed.
+++ Scholarship: Serves as a vital primary document for the history of American transportation, tracking the rapid shift away from the high-wheel ordinary bicycle to the equal-wheeled safety design.
+++ Influence: Preserves the fleeting industrial footprint of the Copley Company, whose single-year operational window (1899) makes their surviving trade literature extraordinarily scarce.

SUBJECTS: Bicycles, 19th-Century Transportation, American Leisure Culture, Boston Commerce, Industrial Design, Trade Catalogues, Ephemera, Fay Bicycle Company, Huffman Bicycles, Dayton Ohio Manufacturing, Ephemera, Trade Catalogue.

BIBLIOGRAPHIC REFERENCE: OCLC/WorldCat 49198294 (locating only 1 copy globally, at the University of Maine).

Item #013878

Price: $375.00