Bicycle Velocipede Patent PrintUnknown Inventor · c. 1870

This vintage patent drawing captures the velocipede — the pioneering early bicycle that set the world in motion around 1870. Often nicknamed the “boneshaker” for its rigid iron-banded wooden wheels and unforgiving ride over cobblestone streets, the velocipede placed its pedals directly on the front wheel, a bold mechanical leap that bridged the hobby-horse of earlier decades and the chain-driven safety bicycles still to come.

The technical drawing strips the machine to its essential geometry — the framework, wheel proportions, and pedal-crank arrangement that made self-propelled travel possible for the first time. Velocipede patents like this one emerged during a wave of invention in the 1860s and 1870s, when engineers across Europe and America raced to refine the bicycle into the world-changing machine it would become.

These vintage patent prints showcase the original blueprints behind iconic inventions, printed on 325gsm museum-grade archival matte paper using premium giclée printing with archival inks for lasting color stability. Colors may vary slightly between screens and the finished piece — the print will always be richer.