The Emperor's Ride: A (Bike!) Ride, Picnic & Lecture
Emperor Norton and his "ride," 1869. Photograph by Eadweard Muybridge. Collection of the Bancroft Library, University of California Berkeley.
"Then sit you down," said Miss Lavish. "Observe my foresight."
With many a smile she produced two of those mackintosh squares that protect the frame of the tourist from damp grass or cold marble steps. She sat on one; who was to sit on the other?
—from A Room With a View, by E.M. Forster
A bike ride, a picnic and a lecture?
Yes! These are actual events, soon to transpire!
Mark your calendars for 20 April and 1 May — May Day! — and read on!
One of Emperor Norton's favorite haunts was the Mechanics' Institute — the membership library and chess room that stood (in the Emperor's day) at 31 Post Street, between Montgomery and Kearny, in San Francisco. (The Institute's current digs at 57 Post were built in 1910 to replace the 1866 building of the Emperor's acquaintance, which was lost in the earthquake and fire of 1906.)
It's not clear whether Emperor Norton formally was a member of the Mechanics' Institute. But, several afternoons a week, he is known to have frequented the library, where he would read books and journals to keep abreast of the latest scientific and technological developments; write Proclamations on the Institute's stationery; and — it is said — play a very fine game of chess.
Also on these afternoons, he would stop for a chat with any number of the Institute's distinguished members, including Andrew Smith Hallidie, the "father" of the cable car, and a certain pioneering photographer named Eadweard Muybridge.
:: :: ::
Eadweard Muybridge, c.1870, as he looked when he took his photograph of the Emperor. (Museum of Fine Arts, Boston via)
So it was that, in March or April of 1869, Emperor Norton and Eadweard Muybridge — friends (of some description) and avid followers of the doings of the Mechanics' Institute — found themselves in the same place at the same time: in front of the Mechanics' Pavilion at the northwest corner of Stockton and Geary Streets (part of the site of today's Union Square).
The familiar Muybridge c.1890-93. via
The velocipede mania was upon San Francisco. What would come to be known as the "bicycle" had arrived! And, inside the Pavilion, the Institute was holding a "Grand Velocipede Tournament," one of a series of competition and exhibition spectacles that was instrumental in launching bicycles out of the arena and into the streets.
Muybridge took the opportunity to snap a photograph of the Emperor astride a "boneshaker" — one of the most iconic visual documents of early bicycling.
:: :: ::
To celebrate this fabulous photograph; the velocipede tournament and training school that was its backdrop; and the vital role that the Mechanics' Institute has played in shaping the culture of San Francisco, including fostering the friendship of Emperor Norton and Eadweard Muybridge...
The Emperor's Bridge Campaign* is delighted to be partnering with the Mechanics' Institute, SF Tweed and San Francisco Steampunks to present a "couplet" of events.
We'll set the stage with a free joint talk at the Mechanics' Institute exploring the relationships of Emperor Norton and Eadweard Muybridge to the Institute, and how the Institute created the occasion for an iconic photograph.
THE EMPEROR'S RIDE
Notes on a Famous Photograph
A Joint Lecture by
Taryn Edwards Public Services Librarian at the Mechanics' Institute
John Lumea President of The Emperor's Bridge Campaign
Wednesday 20 April 2016 at 6 p.m.
The Mechanics' Institute
57 Post Street
San Francisco
FREE
On May Day, it's time to get fabulous!
Don your tweeds, your seersuckers!
Pack your picnics!
Mount your bikes, "vintage" or otherwise!
We're going on a ride — The Emperor's Ride — to a picnic at Marina Green!
THE EMPEROR'S RIDE
A Bike Ride & Picnic
Sunday 1 May 2016
Gather at 11:00 a.m.
Montgomery & Clay Streets (northeast corner)
Plaza area at the base of the Transamerica Pyramid
San Francisco (map)
Roll at 11:30 a.m.
Picnic at 1 p.m.
Marina Green
San Francisco (map)
We'd love to have as many as possible to join us for both the Ride and the picnic.
But — of course — this is an and / or affair! You're welcome to join us for the Ride — and keep on riding. Or just come for the picnic, if you like.
By all means, wear some flowers in your hair — it is May Day, after all!
And, if you come for the picnic, don't forget your mackintosh squares!
:: :: ::
* In December 2019, The Emperor's Bridge Campaign adopted a new name: The Emperor Norton Trust.
:: :: ::
For an archive of all of the Trust’s blog posts and a complete listing of search tags, please click here.
Search our blog...