The Art of Peddling Bikes

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The Art of Peddling Bikes

Saturday, May 10 2014 @ 04:03 pm EDT
Contributed by: masodo
Views: 2,557

Bicycle Advertisements Circa 1890

Click On Image To Enlarge

Source: Gizmodo - 29 Wonderful Bike Ads From the Golden Age Of Cycling
By Attila Nagy

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The following comments are owned by whomever posted them. This site is not responsible for what they say.

The Art of Peddling Bikes
Authored by: Vijay Shah on Sunday, May 11 2014 @ 10:51 am EDT

These vintage bicycle adverts are truly works of art in themselves. Amazing what the designers were able to achieve in a time before Adobe Photoshop and when printing technology was a lot more gritty. This post is a great homage to their efforts.

The Art of Peddling Bikes
Authored by: masodo on Sunday, May 11 2014 @ 04:05 pm EDT

That is what I was thinking, Vijay. Thanks for commenting...

I imagine any one of these would be suitable for framing and displaying as art in a great many homes. Of course at the time it would likely never occur to folks to decorate with such materials (any more than we would decorate with current advertisements for smartphones, say.)

Of course much vintage advertising was very artistic. However, I doubt you could display a poster for Carter's Little Liver Pills with the same effect. Subject is key in universal acceptance as art. Who cannot relate to what these bicycle ads are pushing?

[smiley::D]

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- save the pulp -

The Art of Peddling Bikes
Authored by: Dale.Harkness on Tuesday, May 13 2014 @ 01:42 am EDT

Hey Michael, both you and Vijay are spot on that the posters are aesthetically pleasing. In ways, the posters are equally as appealing as the bicycles they're promoting. Posters were in their heyday at that time and leveraged simplistic yet very effective imagery. I love the minimalistic usage of colors which adds to the impact. Artistic truly is the word! Cool stuff.

-Dale

The Art of Peddling Bikes
Authored by: masodo on Tuesday, May 13 2014 @ 09:46 am EDT

Thanks Dale,

I have been looking into posters made at this time period (in an effort to find out more about the popular processes of the day) and came across a very informative article entitled "The Great Poster Movement (A General History of Posters)" that I believe you would enjoy.

Please see,
http://www.Yaneff.com/html/history/history.html

Yaneff are dealers in original vintage posters and present a very interesting web site.

Here is a video they have produced highlighting much of what the linked article covers:

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- save the pulp -

The Art of Peddling Bikes
Authored by: Dale.Harkness on Tuesday, May 27 2014 @ 12:04 pm EDT

Slow as I am to get around to things, I checked out the video and the link you suggested Michael. Both were well worth the time.

Printmaking techniques such as lithography really is something to behold. Posters communicate effectively and quite aesthetically at times. Sometimes it's the simplicity in the designs that really reaches out and catches a person's eye. At other times, it's the bold usage of colors that siezes our attention. Either way, we get to enjoy a visual treat. Thanks for sharing!

-Dale