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Photographs of Child Bicycle Messengers Working in the Early 20th Century

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Photographs of Child Bicycle Messengers Working in the Early 20th Century

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Old 08-11-17, 08:10 PM
  #1  
StarBiker
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Photographs of Child Bicycle Messengers Working in the Early 20th Century

Fascinating Photographs of Child Bicycle Messengers Working in the Early 20th Century
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Old 08-11-17, 08:21 PM
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Cool pics.
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Old 08-11-17, 08:34 PM
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Thanks for posting that it was great to look at. There is a movie called Ithaca that chronicles a young bike messenger delivery telegrams. It's worth watching.
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Old 08-11-17, 08:41 PM
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yeah sign me up
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Old 08-11-17, 10:47 PM
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Looks like some hard living back then. Most of those bikes looked way too big. I suppose having a properly fitted bike was a luxury.

I especially liked the pic where the kid was smoking a pipe.
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Old 08-12-17, 05:39 AM
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No ink, skinny jeans or ear flap hats.
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Old 08-12-17, 11:48 AM
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Those are some tough kids...makes me appreciate how easy my childhood was. I'm pretty sure that when my grandpa was that age, he was a delivery driver!
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Old 08-12-17, 12:15 PM
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I grew up in an agricultural area. Many kids worked on home farms from an early age. They had winter months free to play sports at school but harvest seasons were work times.
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Old 08-12-17, 12:50 PM
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This link is a more complete version of the story and pics.

The hardcore teen bike messengers of the early 1900s
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Old 08-12-17, 03:01 PM
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Originally Posted by StarBiker
While I agree it has nothing to do with bikes, or this thread.
Neither does your post.

Have a moderator ban me for making the first off topic post in the history of internet forums.
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Old 08-12-17, 03:05 PM
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One kid got $5 a week. $123 in today's coin. Lot of hours though.
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Old 08-12-17, 03:16 PM
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Let's keep this thread on topic of cycling. It looks like it's destined for P&R though by the last couple posts.
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Old 08-12-17, 03:35 PM
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Originally Posted by StanSeven
Let's keep this thread on topic of cycling. It looks like it's destined for P&R though by the last couple posts.
Politics & Religion?

I just saw some kids on bikes and thought it was neat, Thought it may have been posted before, but put it up anyway and someone comes on here and post a pic of coal miner kids? What does that have to do with messenger boys on bikes in the early 20th century?

Another internet forum.
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Old 08-12-17, 03:52 PM
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Originally Posted by SquidPuppet
Neither does your post.

Have a moderator ban me for making the first off topic post in the history of internet forums.
I'm removing the pics for being off-topic AND disruptive.
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Old 08-12-17, 04:22 PM
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Originally Posted by BillyD
I'm removing the pics for being off-topic AND disruptive.
With all due respect. The OP was about kids working at the turn of the century (on bikes). I didn't know it was disruptive to add to the conversation about working kids at the turn of the century.

Originally Posted by berner
I grew up in an agricultural area. Many kids worked on home farms from an early age. They had winter months free to play sports at school but harvest seasons were work times.
Originally Posted by indyfabz
No ink, skinny jeans or ear flap hats.
The above posts have nothing to do with bikes. One has nothing to do with working children at the turn of the century. Yet my post was disruptive?


Originally Posted by SquidPuppet
This link is a more complete version of the story and pics.

The hardcore teen bike messengers of the early 1900s
^^ Ironically, a little farther up, I made the best contribution to the thread by providing a link to the complete story about the bicycle messengers which includes all the photos. That goes unnoticed and not added to the OP.

Just saying.
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Old 08-12-17, 05:49 PM
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Would be cool making money at a young age tho.
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Old 08-12-17, 06:26 PM
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The bikes themselves did not have any gears at all. They were either fixed or single speed bikes. I wonder how they locked them since none carried any kind chains? I didn't see anyone carry repair tools or even a frame pump!
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Old 08-12-17, 06:34 PM
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Those kids have those bikes stripped down and tweaked up good.
Hardly any flat tires back then. Maybe not as much theft as well.
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Old 08-12-17, 06:37 PM
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Originally Posted by trailangel
Those kids have those bikes stripped down and tweaked up good.
Hardly any flat tires back then. Maybe not as much theft as well.
Weren't tires solid?
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Old 08-12-17, 07:33 PM
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Originally Posted by StarBiker
Weren't tires solid?
Upon further review I was able to make out 9 photos with visible valve stems. Google "John Boyd Dunlop" if you wish.
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Old 08-12-17, 07:49 PM
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Originally Posted by StarBiker
Weren't tires solid?


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Old 08-13-17, 04:37 AM
  #22  
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Originally Posted by SquidPuppet
The above posts have nothing to do with bikes.
You must not have spent much time in big cities with lots of bike messengers. Ink, skinny jeans and ear flap hats are the caricature traits.
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Old 08-13-17, 09:09 AM
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Originally Posted by indyfabz
You must not have spent much time in big cities with lots of bike messengers. Ink, skinny jeans and ear flap hats are the caricature traits.
They decorate themselves like that all the time, it's not a bike specific outfit.
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Old 08-13-17, 01:15 PM
  #24  
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Originally Posted by StarBiker
Politics & Religion?

I just saw some kids on bikes and thought it was neat, Thought it may have been posted before, but put it up anyway and someone comes on here and post a pic of coal miner kids? What does that have to do with messenger boys on bikes in the early 20th century?

Another internet forum.
You're fine.
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Please dont outsmart the censor. That is a very expensive censor and every time one of you guys outsmart it it makes someone at the home office feel bad. We dont wanna do that. So dont cleverly disguise bad words.
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Old 08-13-17, 01:17 PM
  #25  
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Originally Posted by SquidPuppet
With all due respect. The OP was about kids working at the turn of the century (on bikes). I didn't know it was disruptive to add to the conversation about working kids at the turn of the century.





The above posts have nothing to do with bikes. One has nothing to do with working children at the turn of the century. Yet my post was disruptive?




^^ Ironically, a little farther up, I made the best contribution to the thread by providing a link to the complete story about the bicycle messengers which includes all the photos. That goes unnoticed and not added to the OP.

Just saying.
Feel free to start a new thread in P and R about Child labor. PM me if you want to discuss moderator action.
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Originally Posted by making
Please dont outsmart the censor. That is a very expensive censor and every time one of you guys outsmart it it makes someone at the home office feel bad. We dont wanna do that. So dont cleverly disguise bad words.
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