Curator Talk: David V. Herlihy
VIEW EVENT DETAILSIn this presentation complementing one of Asia Society Texas Center’s current exhibitions, Round Trip: Bicycling Asia Minor, 1891, guest curator David V. Herlihy will discuss the fascinating story of two young Americans who celebrated their graduation from university with a grand adventure in Asia in the 1890s.
Blue Willow Bookshop will sell copies of Herlihy's books Lost Cyclist and Bicycle: The History on site. Following the program, Herlihy will visit with guests and sign books.
About the Exhibition
In the summer of 1890, young Americans William Sachtleben and Thomas Allen, Jr. set off to circle the globe on newly-invented “safety” bicycles. After pedaling 18,000 miles across three continents, their harrowing tales of adventure made them international celebrities. Along the way, Sachtleben and Allen chronicled their trip with two novel Kodak cameras, signaling a new “democratic” era for photography, as well as cycling.
Round Trip: Bicycling Asia Minor, 1891 features a selection of these striking images, taken from a year on the road visiting Greece, Turkey, Persia (Iran), and part of the Russian Empire (Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan). The photographs vividly convey what the two adventurers experienced as they pedaled across barren dirt roads, river crossings, mountain passes, and volcanic terrains, encountering new peoples and cultures.
Round Trip: Bicycling Asia Minor, 1891 is organized and circulated by the Fowler Museum at UCLA and co-sponsored by the UCLA Library Special Collections. Support for the exhibition was provided by Lee Bronson, Shirley and Ralph Shapiro, and Sukey and Gil Garcetti. The accompanying publication was generously funded by the UCLA Library Special Collections.
Major support for the exhibition at Asia Society Texas Center is provided by Chinhui Juhn and Eddie Allen, Mary Lawrence Porter, the City of Houston through Houston Arts Alliance, Nancy C. Allen, Nancy and Robert J. Carney, The Clayton Fund, Reinnette and Stan Marek, and anonymous friends of Asia Society. Lead funding also provided by Leslie and Brad Bucher, Holland and Jereann Chaney, The Favrot Fund, and Dorothy Carsey Sumner. Funding is also provided through contributions from the Friends of Exhibitions, a premier group of individuals and organizations committed to bringing exceptional visual art to Asia Society Texas Center.
Event Details
1370 Southmore Blvd Houston, TX 77004 713.496.9901