This novelty brooch depicting a Penny Farthing is by Zentall. Robert Zentall set up Robert Zentall Inc. in 1952 with his wife Betty. Robert was born in 1905 in Germany and his wife Betty was born in Hungary in 1915. Betty’s brother Etienne Aigner was the luxury bag designer and founder of Aigner, which can still be purchased today with stores worldwide. In 1954 their jewellery was featured in Vogue magazine.
The company focused on the texture of the material but did use semi-precious stones, coral and enamel. Zentall ceased trading in 1984.
Zentall jewellery is quite rare and to date I have only been able to find examples in the USA. I have three brooches by Zentall in my collection, this is the wackiest.
It is said Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519) was the first to visualise a bicycle. The drawing was found in the Codex Atlanticus, a 12 volume set of bond books containing over 1100 pages containing the collection of da Vinci’s drawings and writings.
In 1817, Baron Karl Von Drais of Germany designed and built a two-wheeled, wooden vehicle; there were no pedals, propulsion was achieved by striding.
Penny Farthings were popular in the 1870s and 1880s, they were though dangerous with the risk of falling forward over the front handlebars and several deaths were recorded. By the late 1880s the ‘safety bicycle’ had developed; they were lighter, easier to rider – a rider’s feet reached the ground giving greater control and making it easier to stop. This also eliminated the risk of ‘taking a header’ over the front of the handlebars. The bicycle had a major impact on women’s emancipation and became a symbol of the new woman and the rational dress movement in the late 19th century. The Rational Dress society was founded in 1881, and listed the attributes of the perfect dress for women as
- Freedom of Movement
- Absence of pressure over any part of the body
- Not more weight than is necessary for warmth, and both weight and warmth evenly distributed
- Grace and beauty combined with comfort and convenience
- Not depart too conspicuously from the ordinary dress of the time
