Velocipede Rider

Description

This vintage bicycle hex tile reproduces an 1860s photograph of a man in a top hat and mustache, riding one of the earliest tricycle designs, complete with a carved horse head mounted on the handlebars.

Everything about this photograph is a little absurd in the best way. The man stares dead into the camera with total seriousness, dressed like he’s headed to a business meeting rather than pedaling around on three wheels shaped to look like he’s riding an actual horse. Early cycling photography from this period is full of oddball inventions like this one, back before anyone had settled on what a bicycle was actually supposed to look like.

I picked this piece because it’s genuinely funny without trying to be. It’s a real historical curiosity, not a modern joke dressed up as vintage, and that honesty is part of what makes it land.

This tile is a great pick for a home office, a cyclist’s space, or anywhere that could use a laugh on the wall. It’s an easy gift for the person in your life who takes their bike a little too seriously. Frame it up with one of my hexagon frames.

Available from 1.5 inches up to 18 inches.