Spring is here – time to dust off the Penny Farthing!

One iconic symbol of the late nineteenth century is that bicycle with the impossibly large front wheel.  Popular in the 1870's and 1880's, it was known as the “Penny-Farthing”, named after the largest (penny) and smallest (farthing) British coins.  One look at it will confirm that this was a man’s recreation machine – skirts of any length would be quite a hindrance.  But it’s hard to imagine how penny-farthings were mounted, regardless of what the rider was wearing.

If you’ve ever wondered why that wheel was so big – and who, seeing one, wouldn’t wonder that – you should know that the precursor to the Penny-Farthing – the velocipede a.k.a. the “boneshaker” – had wheels that were more similar in size (but oddly, not exactly the same size!).  But the penny-farthing’s big front wheel allowed for much faster speeds.  Unfortunately, it also allowed for frequent “headers”, when the rider was pitched forward off of the bicycle when the wheel hit a bump in the road.  Luckily for cycling enthusiasts, the safety bicycle with its chain drive was invented in the late 1880's, giving riders those desired speeds and as a bonus, letting their feet to touch the ground if necessary.

But what’s that you say?  You yearn for the days of the Penny-Farthing?  Well, a little trip to Tasmania may be just the ticket.  The 32^nd Annual National Penny Farthing Championships are in February – great time of year to visit Australia:  http://www.evandalevillagefair.com/

Some fads never fade away completely.  Even those that perhaps should!  

Smartphones: Friend of Foe? Both.

Freelance Writer Nina Badzin has a problem.  And it may sound familiar to you.

Here at 19th Century Connie, we accept, sometimes embrace, the gifts of modern day living (love ya, Tivo!) while simultaneously crave the habits of yesteryear (why does it feel weird to take a walk in the 'burbs if you don't have a dog?  Remember when people would just take a stroll to get fresh air, sans dog but perhaps avec parasol?).  So when I read Nina's iPhone lament, I had to make her an honorary member of 19th Century Connie.  Read Nina's article here.

I especially like when she mentions being at a restaurant with her husband and having a phone on the table in case the babysitter texts, as if that person has little ability to solve problems that might arise.  It used to be good enough to tell your babysitter the name of the restaurant where we would be, so that in case of extreme emergency - house on fire, fever of 103 - they could find a way to reach you.  Now your phone chimes while you are eating the pear and Gorganzola salad asking you if there are new batteries for the Wii remote.  Because seriously, those texts are never about a 103 fever - wouldn't the babysitter actually call about that?  So my complaint is that with your phone on the table, those precious hours away from the mundane issues of parenting, where someone is serving you vs. the other way around, are really no escape at all.

Welcome to 19th Century Connie, where everything is infused with the irony of using a blog to talk about how life rocked 100 years ago.  Let me say up front that I am perfectly aware that many aspects of life did NOT rock back then - don't even get me started about corsets - but in some ways, we have a lot to learn about living from the turn of the century.  I can't help yearning for the time when families gathered around the fireplace instead of the television - or perhaps I should say, instead of not gathering their individual mobile devices, and possibly in different rooms in the house.  In the spirit of full disclosure (and who doesn't fully disclose in their blog?) I am rather fond of my iPhone.  But I'm striving not to gaze into its smooth, hypnotic surface so much that I forget to play chess with my son every once in a while (when I can drag him away from his Nintendo DS).