Bicycle Racing, Randwick Road, Sydney.

Very rare engraving from the Australian Graphic, depicting six cyclists on High Wheelers, or “Penny Farthings” which we have never seen for sale.

“As a frontispiece to our present issue we present our readers with a sketch of a procession of “wheel-men” on the Randwick-road, a favourite place of meeting of cyclists, who almost every day may of meeting of cyclists, who almost every day may be seen exercising their iron steeds, and perfecting themselves in the graceful art of easy locomotion as furnished by the bicycle.”

From the original edition of The Australian Graphic.

Incredibly, this newspaper used glass for all the engraving plates which the proprietors claimed, reduced the cost by 2/3 from the traditional method of using wood engravings. They stated, that the glass plates didn’t break with the pressure of the printing press, were easy and quick for the artist to create, being able to apply their designs directly onto the glass and that the plates didn’t wear.

Only institution to hold a copy is the State Library of New South Wales.