The Victorians fulfilled their global ambitions and satisfied the demands of their developing society through their command of technology. There were revolutions of many kinds, but most important was the establishment of modern concepts of time, communication and language. The application of steam power to railways and ships made travel reliable and accessible. New transport systems required accurate timetables, so time-keeping across Britain was regularised. The bicycle and the motor car also opened up the possibility of personal transport on a global scale. The electric telegraph enabled the successful expansion and management of the Empire. Telephone and radio technology reinforced the power of communication, which was underscored by recorded sound. The typewriter and mechanised printing techniques contributed to the dominance of the English language across the globe. Domestic and industrial life was radically improved by the provision of clean water, the building of drains and the supply of gas and electricity. Medicine was also transformed by the development of antiseptics and anaesthetics.

'Ride Swift Cycles' Poster, for the Swift Cycle Co Ltd, by Tom Brown, c.1898

The modern bicycle, with its triangular frame, low centre of gravity, matched wheels with rubber tyres and geared chain drive to the rear wheel, is descended directly from the safety bicycle of 1885. A number of new designs appeared at this time, prompted by the dangerous shortcoming of the popular penny farthing, or ordinary bicycle. The most important was the Rover, developed in Coventry by John Kemp Starley, the prototype of the modern machine. By 1888 the safety bicycle had pneumatic tyres, gears and better brakes, and by 1890 when this machine was made by Singer, cycling was established as a safe activity with universal appeal.