The Emperor’s Ride: Notes on a Famous Photograph

In 1869 San Francisco was in the throes of a “velocipede” mania. Hundreds of citizens flocked to the Velocipede Training School, located in the Pavilion owned by the Mechanics’ Institute that stood on part of today’s Union Square. The Grand Velocipede Tournament, held in April 1869, was the zenith of this young cycling culture. It attracted the curious, the strong, and two important personages who realized its historical significance: the eccentric Emperor Norton and the photographer Eadweard Muybridge. Join Norton scholar John Lumea from the Emperors’ Bridge Campaign and Taryn Edwards from the Mechanics’ Institute for an illustrated lecture about this moment in time.