1927 Snyder Boy’s Bicycle

http://dp.la/api/items/729f9f0d678010eb26f0ee1527709d94

1927 Snyder Boy’s Bicycle

Homer P. Snyder Mfg. Co., Inc

1927

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.

Homer P. Snyder Mfg. Co., Inc

America on the Move

Road Transportation

Smithsonian Institution

image

http://collections.si.edu/search/results.htm?q=record_ID%3Anmah_843034&repo=DPLA