Sutherland ladies bicycle

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Type: Bicycles
Materials: Leather, Nickel-plated steel, Paint - non specific, Steel, Wood
Collection: Paul Farren collection
Accession number: 2011.0002.0001

Description

A ladies bicycle with an oil lamp. The bicycle has a black painted metal frame, featuring a painted gold design on the front stem which reads 'The / SUTHERLAND / CYCLE / & MOTOR / WORKS / OPPOSITE / TOORAK STATION / MELBO[UR]NE. It has a bell attached to the front handle bars and a tool/repair kit attached under the back of the seat. It has wooden mud guards, a steering lock for the front wheel, a front stirrup brake, a rear hand break and a leather saddle (seat) made by 'BROOKS'. A skip tooth chain wheel and pins hold the bottom bracket cups in position.

About the collection

The Paul Farren collection consists of a ladies bicycle made by A.J. Sutherland's bicycle company of Toorak c.1913. It has an oil lamp and a bell attached to the front handle bars and a tool/repair kit on the back of the leather saddle (seat). It is in very good condition and the brand of the manufacturer is still visible on the decal. This is a 'high end' bicycle which would have cost almost twice as much as most other bicycles. A.J. Sutherland was famous for his bicycles - the winner of the Austral Wheel Race in 1903 rode a Sutherland. Cycling increased in popularity with the invention of the safety bicycle in the 1890s and the development of pneumatic tyres. Large-scale production of bicycles made them more affordable for working class families and they became a common means of transport and a form of exercise. The bicycle is credited with doing more for the emancipation of women than anything else in the world as it gave them freedom of movement and provided impetus to arguments for rational dress.

Read live from the Museum's Collection API (12/11/2026, 6:28:29 am). Record last updated by the Museum 2026-09-08. Licence: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/.