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1927 Snyder Boy’s Bicycle

National Museum of American History
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Object Details

Homer P. Snyder Mfg. Co., Inc.
Description
The Homer P. Snyder Manufacturing Company of Little Falls, New York expanded its product line from knitting mill machinery to bicycles in 1898 during the safety bicycle craze. The company remained a leading manufacturer of bicycles in the early twentieth century. Motorcycles offered an appealing transition from bicycles to motorized personal mobility; Schwinn, one of the largest bicycle manufacturers, acquired Excelsior motorcycles in 1911 and Henderson motorcycles in 1917 to exploit the demand. In the late teens and twenties, some manufacturers even designed bicycles that resembled motorcycles to appeal to boys. This 1927 Snyder bike resembles a contemporary motorcycle; it has a tool box shaped like a gasoline tank, an electric headlight with battery compartment, and a luggage rack. Making bicycles look like motor vehicles became a long-lasting trend. From the 1930s to the 1960s, headlights and imitation gasoline tanks on some bicycles had shapes that suggested streamlined automobiles or airplanes, exciting the imagination of children.
Credit Line
Gift of Homer P. Snyder Mfg. Co., Inc.
1927
ID Number
TR.309382
catalog number
309382
accession number
99530
Object Name
bicycle
Other Terms
bicycle; Road
place made
United States: New York
See more items in
Work and Industry: Transportation, Road
America on the Move
Transportation
Road Transportation
Exhibition
Object Project
Exhibition Location
National Museum of American History
National Museum of American History
Record ID
nmah_843034
Metadata Usage (text)
CC0
GUID (Link to Original Record)
http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ng49ca746a6-5df0-704b-e053-15f76fa0b4fa

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