Figure 1.-- Here we see a little American boy enjoying his tricycle in front of the family porch. Notice granny in the hammock. The trike here has metal wheels. This snapshot is undated, but looks to have been taken in the 1910s, primarily because the boy is wearing knickers rather than knee pants.

A variety of conveyances, especially waggons, tricycles, and bicycles were very important for outdoor play. There were many other conveyances such as Irish mails, pedal cars, and scooters. We notice both bikes and trikes in the the United States during the late-19th century. A good example of an early trike is an unidentified boy in 1881. Many American children had bikes. I think this was primarily a factor of the greater affluence of American families. Bikes were less common transport for workers, in part because Henry Ford followed by other manufactuers built cars within the price range of the average worker. Bikes were certainly items that were very popular with boys. Every boy wanted them. We believe that they were more common for boys, but especially after World War I, girls also had them. Styling seems to have been very similar in Europe and America. There are quite a number of bicycle and tricycle images loaded on HBC. Many of them are American images. I believe this reflects the general affluence of America and the fact thast many children had bicycles and tricycles.

Chronology

Just as dad loved to photograph the family besides the new car, children loved their convehences and loved to be photographed on them. Fortunately the the family snapshop appeared at about the same time that these converhences appeared for children-- at the turn-of-the 20th century. The bicycle appeared earlier, but at first was only for adults (late-19th century). And they were rather expensive, something than only men could afford. But gradually the price came down and family incomes rose. Thus parents could afford them for their children. And because of the family snapshot, there is a huge photographic record on these convehnces. We see far more of them in America than in Europe just as we see more motor vehicles in America. The major reason being that American workers were so much better paid than European workers. Althouhgh most are undated, we can usually work out the decade. We see quite a diversity of these convences. Early trikes look a little strange. Important to these convences were sidewalks and for older boys with bikes, paved roads. This at first meant the cities. But with the advebt of the Midel-T, Ametricans began demanding better roads and hughways. I ceratinly remember my trike in 1948. It was a strudy steel trike, not of this plastic nonsence at the time.

Specific Convehences

The most important manual conveyance is the bicycle. It was the first one to appear in the mid-19th century. Many others appeared, primarily in the 20th century. These conveyances primarily for childre, in part because they were expensive and bcause until the 20th century and the safty bike, were not all that safe to operate. The American market for bikes was the largest in the world. This was because of both the large population and the fact that American workers were the best paid in the wiorld. Then something change--Henry Ford unleased the Model-T Tin Lizzy on America. This meant the average adult could afford an autiomobile. At the time there were bucycle mechanic shiops all over the country. (One of these shops in Ohio was where the airplane was born.) Soon rather than bicycle mechanics, these shops turned into servicing automobiles. Very quickly the market for bikes in America turned to children. This shift did not occur in Europe, largely because European automobile manufacturers made no real effort to produce a low priced vehicle that working people could afford. The other major conveyance was the tricycle, a conveyance for younger children who did not yet have the coofrdination to ride a bike. The other conveyences are internesting, but much less imprtant in the numbers purchased.

Bicycles

Bicycles were an European invention. All the early bicycles and technical inovations came from Europe. Early bicycles were for adults, both because they were expensive and unsafe. Americans began to take an interest in bicycles after the Civil War. The bicycle became a very popular item and wec see clubs organizing. These clubs became advocates for better roads (1880s). Also Americans began tinkering with building better bikes. Safety bikes appeared in the 1890s which opened the way for children's bikes. At first only wealthy children had them. With mass production methods and widening affluence, we gradually begin to see more and more children with bikes. Many American children had bikes. I think this was primarily a factor of the greater affluence of American families. Bikes were less common transport for workers, in part because Henry Ford followed by other manufactuers built cars within the price range of the average worker. Bikes were certainly items that were very popular with boys. Every boy wanted them. We believe that they were more common for boys, but especially after World War I, girls also had them. Styling seems to have been very similar in Europe and America. There are quite a number of bicycle images loaded on HBC. Many of them are American images. We believe this reflects the general affluence of America and the fact thast many children had bicycles.

Carts

Carts and waggons are very similar. Carts can have either two or four wheels. Waggons all have four wheels. When disussing children's conveyances the basic differences was that cart were pulled by animals. And chuldren's waggons had a kind of handle so that we to be pulled by a child. Carts were common in rural America when iy was a primarily rural country. At time almost all families had animals that could be used to pull a child's cart. As American became more urbamized after the mid-19th century this became less commom. And we see waggons beginning to place carts. Children from almost all social classes could play with carts. Lower income families would have simple make-shift carts. Here we are talking about both rural and small-town families. Kids from afluent families might have nice purpose-made carts. And as American urbanized we see more and more expensive looking carts. Both becuse we have more well-to-do families and we have far more photographs by the lte-19th and early-20th century. Wealthy familis were more likely to live in homes athta had ground where animals could be kept. Most other boys had waggons. While we see both boy and girls with animal driven carts (usually the boys are drivers), but it is mostly the boys who have waggons.

Irish Mails

Pedal Cars

Pedal cars began to appear at about the same time cars did. One source reports pedal cars first appeared in the early-90s. These early pedal cars pf course did not look much like cars, but the cars of the prriod don't look much like our modern idea of a car. We begin to see pedal cars more commonly in the early-20 centuty. They ptoved very popular with the chikdren, mostly boys. Pedal car manufacturers began masking pedal cars that resembled the major cars of the era (Buick, Cadillac, Packard, Pierce Arrow, Pope and Winton, and many were other classic makes (1910s). Many specialized vehickes appeared in the 1920s. An pedal car companies followed suit with new types like roadsters. We see pedal cars with large fenders, shiny radiators, and artistic hood ornaments(1920s). Ansd with Lindburg's flight we begin to see airplane pedal cars. Cars got larger and heavier and we begin to see stramlining (1930s). Some of the largest pedal cars appeared at this time. Several companies made pedal cars, including American, National, Gendron, and Steelcraft. We also see artillery wheels with large plated hubcaps. The 1940s after Pearl Harbor, the production of pedal crs virtully stopped (December 1941). Both metal and rubber were strategic materials needed for the war effort. After the War, we begin to see military vehicles as well as new car models (1940s). We begin to see cars with tailfins in the 1950s, emulating jet aircradt and futuristic space cradt. This too was refected in the fantasy pedal cars (1950s). We also see hot rods. Garton and Murray Ohio were two of the most popular pedal car manufacturers. Pedal cars appeared with decals and plastic trim (1960s). A few appeared with spiffy metallic finish. Garton, Murray and AMF produced a range of pedal cars. This ended the classic period of American pedal cars. We cheap see platic versions in the 1970s.

Scooters

Sleds

Very high on the wish list for American boys in the 20th century were three childhood vehicles: bikes/trikes, sleds, and coaster wagons. These are items that remain were abd remain virtually with American childhood. The winter option was of course the sled. Most of us who grew up in the 20th century recall the excitement of sledding down snow-covered hills. Kids in the South were cut out of the excitement for lack of snow. Kids in the North, however, were in for all kinds of fun when the snow fell. And sleds were one of the ways to have fun on the snow. The sled like the wagon began as a utilitarian vehicle to move goods. And both required propulsion, usually horses or oxen. In really snow places like Canada, Russia, and Scandanavia, sleds were also used rather like buggys to trabnsport peipole, usually wth horses. Recreational vehicles were a little different. There was no propulsion other thn gravity. One went from the top of a hill or other elevated point to the bottom with koads of fun all along the way down hill. We do not know much about recreational sleds in the 19th century. We suspect that most were rather basic home-made affairs. We note the U.S. Parent Iffice awarding a sled patent to the S.L. Allen Company of Philadelphia, Pennsyvania (1889). And we see sleds in the earlhy Sears and Wards mail order catalogs. They were wood sleds with metal runners. As to sled technology, early sleds had flat runners. This changed after the turn-of the 20th century. Ee see wooden bumpers (1907). Another important innovatiin was the articulated bumper for steering (1928). Straight runners were standard (through the early-30s). A popular model was was the Lightning Speedster wuth a rounded wooden front which could be easily turned (1939-42). Speed King and Radio Flyers were the most popular (1950s-70s). This was the style of sled I recall (1940s-50s). My brother and I had one as did our friends. Radio Flyer of course was even better known for their wagons. They came up with all kinds of innovation beyound the basic sled, some made for adults. Probably the greatest change for children's sledding has been rubvberized plastic round/disc sleds and toboggan.

Tricycles

We notice both bikes and trikes in the the United States during the late-19th century. We are not sure when they first appared. The trike appeared after bikes and were only for younger boys. A good example of an early trike is an unidentified boy in 1881. This is the earliest definitely dated American trike we have found to date. Almost all of the early trike images were studio portraits. The studios had trikes as props for photographing children. As family snsapshots were not yet common, we do not know how common they were. We suspect that they were an item only common in fairly affluent families. Early trikes had metal wheels which made for rather bumpy rides. They of course in the 20th century became a standard item for younger Amercan children, especially among the boys. We are not entirely sure what they were called at first, but notice Sears using the term Velocipede in a 1919 catalog. Several companies manufactured trikes, including American National, Radio Flyer, Schwin, and many others. I remember tectrike I had I got it in 1947, I think for my 5th birthdsy, It was quite a gift as items made wih metal and rubber so soon after the War were still difficult to get. I road it everywhere, ikncluding nto an irrigation dditch. Trikes like bikes were always of metal consruction until about the 1970s when plastic trikes appeared.

Wagons

I had thought that a child's pull waggons were quintessentially American. And they were mostly something that boys wanted. We suspect that wagons were popular in other countries as well, but we have little information on this. Certainly the photographic record shows that they were especially popular inAmerica. Few Americans can forget the little red wagon which became an integral part of American childhood. I'm not sure when wagons became so popular for boys--and when red became the most popular color. The waggon could not only be used for carting stuff around, but there was a way to ride it as well. We see them at the turn-of-the 20th century, but that was when amateur snapshots became popular. We have fewer snapshos from the 1890s, but suspect that boys had wagons then as well. Most boys growing up in America wanted their own little red wagon. Here we see American children with their wagon, probably about 1905. We note them in Little Rascals (Our Gang) movie shorts in the 1930s. We see them in Sears catalogs during the 1940s. A reader writes, "Wagons were very popular for boys in the 1940s." I had one in the early 1950s. Most boys got them. Not all families, however, had the money to buy wasgons for their boys. We note two New York City boys with a home-made waggon in the 1890s. They were much less expensive than a bike and thus within the price rane of most families.

Wheel Barrow

We also notice boys playing with scaled-down wheerl barrows. We do not see a lot of these snapshots, but we do see a few. Wheel barrows seem most common in rural asreas or small towns. They used them rather like waggons. It was another way oif carting around their possessions. SDomne boys masy have also moced around building materials. Waggons were, however, much more common. We rarely see girls playing with them.

Created: 5:33 AM 2/13/2009
Last updated: 2:26 PM 6/1/2023