Quarter plate tintype depicting a man posed outdoors with a rear-driven bicycle distinguished by its large rear wheel and smaller front wheel, a configuration associated with the American Star type. The rider stands beside the machine, one hand resting on the handlebar, with the bicycle shown in full profile. The image is a tintype, identifiable by the metallic surface and characteristic tonal range.

The bicycle shown is a rear-driver design developed in the early 1880s as an alternative to the front-driven high-wheel bicycle. By placing the drive wheel at the rear and positioning the rider between the wheels, this design aimed to reduce the risk of forward falls common with penny-farthings. Such bicycles were produced only briefly before being superseded by chain-driven safety bicycles, giving the image a narrow and well-defined period context.

No photographer’s imprint or identifying text is visible. The plate is uncased and trimmed to quarter plate size, with clipped corners consistent with tintype presentation of the period.