Cyclists looking at maps, c 1900.

A snapshot photograph of a group of cyclists on a country road consulting their maps, taken by an unknown photographer in about 1906. A craze for bicycling swept the industrial world during the 1890s. Clubs were formed throughout Britain, encouraging people to cycle off exploring the countryside. Although the craze lasted only about ten years it affected many areas of life, stimulating manufacturing and prompting the improvement of road surfaces. Many women took up the craze, scandalising the more conservative elements of society. It marked a growing spirit of independence amongst women in the early years of the twentieth century, as well as influencing women's fashion at the time.  From the Kodak at the National Science & Media Museum. This collection of photographs, equipment and printed material tracing the history of photography, was assembled by Kodak Limited and acquired from them in the mid-1980s. As well as approximately 200,000 photographs, the Collection includes nearly 10,000 items of photographic and cinematic equipment as well as books and printed ephemera. The Collection is especially strong in the area of popular photography. It includes examples of most of the products made by Kodak Limited and thousands of snapshots, dating back to the 1880s. It also contains work by known photographers such as Frank Meadow Sutcliffe and Paul Martin.