Collection context
Summary
- Creator:
- Various
- Abstract:
- The Cycling mss., ca. 1879-1978, consists of materials pertaining to the growth of bicycling and the bicycling industry in the late-19th and early-20th century.
- Extent:
- 3 Boxes
- Language:
- Materials are in English .
- Preferred citation:
[Item], Cycling mss., Lilly Library, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana.
Background
- Biographical / Historical:
The modern bicycle made its first appearance in the United States around 1880, becoming very popular in the state of Indiana. Indianapolis was home to several bicycle manufacturers. What could have been a fad became instead an integral part of American life. Women became as passionate about cycling as men, recognizing that the bicycle was a liberating force that would help them on their journey down the road to equal rights. Since 1951, Bloomington and Indiana University have hosted the annual Little 500 bicycle race. Modeled on the Indianapolis 500 and described as the "World's Greatest College Weekend," the race was the inspiration for the 1979 film Breaking Away.
- Scope and Content:
Collection consists of photographs, one tintype, glass slides, a diary recording a cycling tour of Germany, a bound volume of newspaper clippings detailing cycling accidents, a glass negative, correspondence, bill headings, postcards, cycling club ephemera, bicycling catalogs, broadsides, sheet music, news clippings and business records all related to and documenting the sport of cycling in in the U.S. in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century. The collection also contains one small contemporary artist's print depicting a cyclist dated 1978.
For digitized content, see Digital Collections.
- Acquisition information:
- Acquired: 2013
- Processing information:
Processed by Craig Simpson.
Completed in 2013
- Arrangement:
This collection is arranged following original order.
- Physical location:
- ALF (Auxiliary Library Facility)
Online content
Access
- RESTRICTIONS:
-
This collection is open for research.
Many collections are housed offsite; retrieval requires advance notice. Please make an appointment a minimum of one week in advance of your visit.
- TERMS OF ACCESS:
-
Photography and digitization may be restricted for some collections. Copyright restrictions may apply. Before publishing, researchers are responsible for securing permission from all applicable rights holders, then filling out the Permission to Publish form.
- PREFERRED CITATION:
-
[Item], Cycling mss., Lilly Library, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana.
- CAMPUS:
- Indiana University Bloomington
- LOCATION OF THIS COLLECTION:
-
1200 East Seventh StreetBloomington, Indiana 47405-5500, USA
- CAMPUS:
- Indiana University Bloomington
- CONTACT:
-
(812) 855-2452liblilly@indiana.edu