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Saturday, 19 November 2011

The Canopied Penny Farthing Bicycle


   Here it is, quite an iconic image don't you think? Because everytime anyone sees the image of the canopied Penny Farthing, whether they can appreciate the Prisoner or not, they are instantly reminded of the series. Yet, this image is incomplete, the canopied Penny Farthing bicycle is short of the rear strut supporting the back of the canopy. It's as though some, not in all cases, of the closing credts is one frame short of the completed film!    BCNU

4 comments:

  1. Beautiful and iconic. Looking past the PF into the distance those statues lead you into a golden age where anything is possible.
    Romantic, evocative and sets my heart on fire.


    On another note The Prisoner was a wonderful series.

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    1. Hello Anonymous,

      Thank you for you for having taken time to comment, a comment which you put very well. I had not thought of the statues in the way you describe. It is easy to see you have a passion for 'the Prisoner.'

      Very kind regards
      David
      BCNU

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  2. This is the penultimate ambiguous symbol in what's arguably a very ambiguous fictional universe. What does it mean? A penny farthing seems an absurd vehicle in many ways, quaint and obsolete, yet something that's carefully crafted in spite of not being a very obvious approach to a problem. Perhaps it's the ideal symbol of British eccentric ingenuity.

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    1. David stimpson2 June 2024 at 11:36

      Hello, yours is an interesting comment. "Perhaps it's the ideal symbol of British eccentric ingenuity." I paricularly like that. Patrick Mcgoohan said of the Penny Farthing in the Prisoner that it represents the slowness of progress, that man is progressing too fast, and should slow down and consolidate the things man has discovered and created. And the addition of the canopy is representative of the safety, which has crept into our everyday lives. Forced to wear seat belts, wear crash helmets while riding a bicyle, health and safety in the work place, and the forcefullness of the Goverment.

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