Rolling Through Summer

By the Archives
July 15, 2010
Drawing of Otto Bacher and Robert Blum riding bicycles

Jenifer Dismukes looks at one of summer's greatest pastimes: riding a bicycle.

Drawing of two cyclists by Robert Frederick Blum
Sketch of Otto Bacher and Robert Blum on bicycles, between 1873 and 1903. Otto Bacher papers, 1873-1938. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Blum letter to Bacher
Robert Frederick Blum letter to Otto H. (Otto Henry) Bacher, between 1895 and 1903. Otto Bacher papers, 1873-1938. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

Robert (Bob) Blum and Otto Bacher were avid cyclists, and their letters to each other trade remarks about tire punctures, recreational rides, and deals on secondhand bicycles. This ink drawing of the bike-riding artists, whose first names you’ll find where their faces belong (Otto is in the foreground, and Bob, wearing a plaid jacket, is to his right), is one of several such images in the Otto Bacher papers.

Jenifer Dismukes is managing editor of the Archives of American Art Journal.

Comments

Love these sketches! Had to do some more searching on the internet to see more of his work which I really enjoyed. This blog is great - I could spend hours reading here.

awesome