SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN, New York, Aug. 19, 1868 

* Early bicycle - velocipede - Hanlon Brothers

Inside is an article: "Improvement in the Velocipede" accompanied by a print of "Hanlons' Patent Improved Velocipede", an early model of a bicycle. 
Other interesting illustrations and articles on the latest inventions & improvements of the day.
Sixteen pages, library stamps at some of the prints, otherwise good condition.

Background: In 1868, while performing in Paris, the Hanlon Brothers—Thomas, George, William, and Edward—became captivated by the city’s new mechanical sensation, the velocipede, recently popularized by French inventors Pierre Michaux and Pierre Lallement. Already renowned acrobats and mechanical showmen, the Hanlons studied the Parisian machines closely, recognizing their potential beyond novelty. After experimenting with designs of their own, they returned to the United States and secured U.S. Patent No. 85,720 on December 15, 1868, for an improved velocipede featuring a stronger iron frame, better bearings, and sturdier pedal connections than the fragile French wooden models. Their exposure to the Paris velocipede movement directly inspired this early American bicycle innovation, and their subsequent exhibitions helped ignite the brief but intense velocipede craze that swept across the United States in 1869.