‘The “parlour velocipede” was pioneered for German barmaids during the mid 1800’s in an attempt to serve drinks more efficiently.
‘First patented in 1819 by French inventor M.Petitbled, the early rollerskate’s wheels were in-line, as with modern skates, but were sized with an equal diameter and made of metal, the weight making it virtually impossible for the skater to lift their foot.
‘In 1876 The Engineer magazine wrote that the ‘grave defect’ of the product was its ‘clumsy’ appearance, going on to say that:
“very few of the fairer sex would deign to encase their feet in such ugly replicates, lest it should be expected that their ankles were really the size of which they were made to appear’”‘
- The Engineer
…..
Thank you to John Pollock
[...] = "0000FF"; google_color_text = "999999"; google_color_url = "191919"; Looking to buy Notebook Roller [...]