Snapshots of the Past

The darktown bicycle race-a sudden halt: I knowd we'd have busted de record if it hadn't bin for dis misforchin"" – Historic Reproduction

The darktown bicycle race-a sudden halt: I knowd we'd have busted de record if it hadn't bin for dis misforchin"", [New York] : Currier & Ives, 1895. — antique lithograph
The darktown bicycle race-a sudden halt: I knowd we'd have busted de record if it hadn't bin for dis misforchin"", [New York] : Currier & Ives, 1895.. Antique lithograph from the Bicycles collection.

(Originally scanned by the Library of Congress. Each image is professionally and digitally cleaned of artifacts such as color bars and extra borders prior to printing.)

Description

This rare antique lithograph captures The darktown bicycle race-a sudden halt: I knowd we'd have busted de record if it hadn't bin for dis misforchin"" in remarkable detail. An authentic image from the Library of Congress, it carries the weight of the real historical record.

Order it framed and ready to hang, or unframed to match a frame you already love. A conversation-starting piece for home, office, or as a meaningful gift. Free shipping in the lower 48 states. Snapshots of the Past, founded in 2001, has served tens of thousands of customers worldwide.

The darktown bicycle race-a sudden halt: I knowd we'd have busted de record if it hadn't bin for dis misforchin""

Order a print

Secure checkout · SSL encryptedPowered by Stripe and PayPal

Free shipping in the lower 48 states. The checkout page shows the picture, size and price before you pay.

Sign up for our newsletter

Sent securely. No purchase needed. Unsubscribe anytime.

Ask about licensing or this print

Its title, "The Darktown Bicycle Race: A Sudden Halt," promises a race that ends in a crash, and the caption has a rider lamenting a "misforchin" that cost the team a record. Currier & Ives published it in New York in 1895 as part of its Darktown series, hand-colored lithographs that mocked Black Americans through exaggerated features and phonetic dialect. The bicycle craze of the 1890s gave publishers a timely subject, and the series is now studied as an example of how popular prints reinforced demeaning stereotypes of the period.

Created / published[New York] : Currier & Ives, 1895.
Medium1 print : lithograph, hand col.
Genrec1983
NotesCaricature issued as part of the Darktown comics" series. Currier & Ives : a catalogue raisonné / compiled by Gale Research. Detroit
SourceLibrary of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division
Original scan1,536 × 1,137 px · prints to 5 × 4 in at 300 dpi
ReferenceAMZ-SOTP-HPA-174297

More from the Bicycles collection

Snapshots of the Past helps heritage brands, museums, historians and storytellers tell stories with history: historic prints, image licensing and historical storytelling drawn from more than 25 years of research and curation.

Related pictures

The darktown bicycle race-the start: Now for de fastest record eber known""The darktown bicycle race-the start: Now for de fastest record eber known""The darktown bicycle club - on parade: Hooray for de rumatic! Dont she glide lubly.""The darktown bicycle club - on parade: Hooray for de rumatic! Dont she glide lubThe darktown bicycle club-knocked out: Dar! I knowed dem odd fellers was a breedin mischief.""The darktown bicycle club-knocked out: Dar! I knowed dem odd fellers was a breed[Bicycle riders--Walthour in 6-day race][Bicycle riders--Walthour in 6-day race][Bicycle race in or near Washington, D.C.][Bicycle race in or near Washington, D.C.]Bicycle race, Keating's pier, Daytona Beach, Fla.Bicycle race, Keating's pier, Daytona Beach, Fla.