Exposed! Harley-Davidson’s Lost Photographs 1915-1916 Fall Exhibit. 2 More Discovered.

R2408I was contacted by the Harley-Davidson Museum to share with you 2 of the most recent pictures that will be featured in the Fall exhibit “Exposed! Harley-Davidson Lost Photographs 1915-1916” The photos were taken using some of the most daring and innovative photographic techniques of the time, and were thought to be lost for nearly 100 years until they were discovered recently in storage at the Milwaukee County Historical Society. You can read more about Exposed!, and other exciting fall events at the Harley-Davidson Museum. These pictures and others are available for purchase at Harley-Davidson Images where they can be reproduced on a variety of media. Pictures courtesy h-d museum to Cyril Huze.
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13 Responses to “Exposed! Harley-Davidson’s Lost Photographs 1915-1916 Fall Exhibit. 2 More Discovered.”


  1. 1 Barry Brown Oct 13th, 2013 at 1:23 pm

    Check out the bobbed front fender ! There goes the theory that PA Bigsby ( Crocker) pioneered the bobber in the thirties.

  2. 2 Rodent Oct 13th, 2013 at 1:26 pm

    Conviently found, how’s about photos of Harley & Indian racing!

  3. 3 Boots Oct 13th, 2013 at 8:29 pm

    Rodent,
    Give it a break! These are just interesting vintage photos of motorcycles. Quit trying to interject Indian into every single article that pops up on Cyril’s blog. I’m sure the photographer didn’t make an special effort to clear out all Indians that might have been in the general area.
    Go take a couple Prozacs and read an Indian motorcycle magazine (if there are any) and give the rest of us readers a break from your insightful comments for a change!

  4. 4 Kirk Perry Oct 14th, 2013 at 10:28 am

    I’ve sen that look before (girl on the left) when someone loses respect for what they’re riding. Her bike is smaller. Her tires are not as beefy. She’s already ruined her slacks, when the “(my) left pant leg got caught in this stoopid open primary”.
    This is no paved road. She’s got ribbed tires, he’s got knobby’s.
    That’s about as disgruntled a look as I’ve ever seen on a woman’s face. She’s already beat the poor man down so much he’s put his hands behind his back.
    “Damn lady…. how about a nice hot cup of shut the xxxx up!”. “Here, you can ride mine, but you’ve got to pedal hard to get the motor started.”

  5. 5 Jeffersonian Oct 14th, 2013 at 10:53 am

    What gives you the impression that’s a girl?

  6. 6 sue Oct 14th, 2013 at 11:07 am

    looks like two guys to me too

  7. 7 Kirk Perry Oct 14th, 2013 at 11:19 am

    Listen to me. No man would ever wear a “hat” like that in 1915-1916. They’d be run out of town.
    Okay, so maybe it isn’t a girl, but he’s acting like one.
    There’s no way those two riders moved an inch, unless the guy on the right gave up his ride to the “person” on the left.

  8. 8 Cris Sommer Simmons Oct 14th, 2013 at 12:16 pm

    The photos are great. So happy to see them! Thanks for sharing them after all these years.

  9. 9 BigWave916 Oct 14th, 2013 at 12:44 pm

    After all that analysis, I had to take a second look at the photos.

    The top picture makes it look like the woman in white is shoving the bike and the side hack into the river. I don’t think I’d park a rig like that pointed at the water on a downslope. I guess there are at least two people there to help her back it up.

    Kirk: Thanks for pointing out that the person on the left is a girl and she’s on a smaller bike. Cracked me up.

    If that’s a girl, she’s only got one fairly large boob and no bra on.

    The guy looks like he might be handcuffed.

    Neither one of them seems to know where to put their hands.

  10. 10 Kirk Perry Oct 14th, 2013 at 12:46 pm

    It’s difficult these days to look at something and not peck it to death, what with photoshop and all of the available digital manipulation available. Most especially persnickety are “Harley” people, antiquer’s in particular, and so looking at the top photo one could imagine the fellow next to the creek muttering under his cap, “Margaret, you’re on a slippery slope there in your bow-tie pumps. The motorcycle weighs about 425 lbs… and you’re going to try and back it up the hill?
    “I’m not sticking my arm in between the spokes if you let go”, interjects the lady with the “third-eye” tatt on her left arm.
    “You don’t see any tire tracks now, do ya’ Nate?! I didn’t walk it down here … this was all set up by Pohlman. I didn’t sign-on for anything more than a meet n’ greet, so where’s the jiffy stand? I’ll shift it into first gear Sybil, it’s not rolling any where.

  11. 11 olgraybeard Oct 14th, 2013 at 4:57 pm

    The girl in the first photo with the the hat and and the mans “partner” in the second photo both have the same style of hat. I think the mans “partner” in the second photo is complaining about cramping and hips hurting. The “partner” is obvious pissed that the man didn’t notice that the “partners” gloves matched the “partners” scarf.

  12. 12 rags Oct 14th, 2013 at 6:41 pm

    great old photos

  13. 13 nicker Oct 21st, 2013 at 11:07 pm

    What, no oil or dirt…… ? Look like staged PR pics.
    Still fun to see… shades of a simpler time….. 🙂

    RE:
    “…Okay, so maybe it isn’t a girl, but he’s acting like one….”

    Had to laugh….
    Seems posers existed, even back then…….. 🙂

    -nicker-

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Cyril Huze