This film is part of Free
Ladies on Bicycles
Anyone for synchronised cycling? Victorian belles show off their riding skills.
Non-Fiction 1899 1 mins
Overview
The Victorian bicycling boom led to some bizarre sporting events, such as this synchronized cycle ride. Ladies clubs in particular were encouraged to cycling 'gymkhanas' like this one. This is probably an event at Catford in 1899, captured by film pioneer Cecil Hepworth, but there was also a similar event at the Glasgow Exhibition of 1901.
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New
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This was one of a series of actuality films made by the Victorian pioneer Birt Acres during 1895. The film is thought to have been shot on June 20, on the occasion of the opening of the Kiel Canal by the German Kaiser Wilhelm II. Acres shot other films at the same time, but they have not survived.