Penny-farthings: photos of popular bicycles in the Victorian era

In the second half of the 19th century, Britain had a popular Bicycle of an unusual shape – the penny-farthing. It differs from other bicycles by its large front wheel, while the rear wheel is very small in diameter. They were started in the 1870s by James Starley, an inventor who dedicated his life to the development of the Bicycle industry. The wheel diameter of some models reached 1.5 m, the size allowed you to gain more speed. After 8 years, similar bicycles appeared in the United States, where they also became common over the next two decades. Photographs taken in the Victorian era, you can see the different penny-farthings and their owners.