Philobiblon

This month’s edition of The London Cyclist has a lovely feature on the work of Frank Patterson, who recorded, with pen and ink, the cycling life from the 1890s to the 1950s. He’s got a society, and some lovely drawings are on its website.

I particularly liked “a summer tour”, 1928 (which you can see in the “shop”), which shows a cyclist drawn up outside a pub. The explanation: “Many inns at that time offered refreshment to travellers who did not wish to enter premises where alcohol was served; one rang the bell and the landlord would bring to the window any refreshment the heart desired.”

…. also meaning that you didn’t have to unpack the bicycle, remove outer clothing etc etc … not drive-through, but cycle-through. Definitely a concept worth restoring.

(And the prints are not a bad idea for a Christmas present for the cyclist in your life.)