A Cruikshank Caricature

A new Irish jaunting car, the dandy's hobby, the velocipede, or the perambulator, by which you can ride at your ease & are obliged to walk through the mud at the same time
London, 1819 This hand-coloured etching by caricaturist Robert Cruikshank from the Nicholas K. Robinson Collection in the Library of Trinity College Dublin satirises the precursor to the bicycle – the dandy's hobby or velocipede. Initially designed by prolific inventor Karl Drais and in vogue for a short period up to 1820, the contraption was unfortunately impractical for everyday use, as the print clearly shows. Printmakers had been quick to record its popularity, with the first of many velocipede-themed prints published in January 1819. Its attractiveness to aspiring gentlemen (dandies) can be attributed to Denis Johnson (c. 1760–1833), who improved on the Drais design and ran cycling schools in London to instruct owners in its use.