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September 1938. "Inflating bicycle tire in Abbeville, Louisiana." 35mm nitrate negative by Russell Lee for the Farm Security Administration. View full size.
My first thought .... riding the bike barefoot seems like it would've really been painful on his tootsies.
I had a bike like this in the 40s and I was a lot scrawnier than this kid. I have lived in the far east and have seen bikes like this carry 3-4 people and very, very other heavy cumbersome loads that you would not believe, but are posted on YouTube, and elsewhere on the internet.
Note the reinforcing bar on the handlebars. Used to see the same thing on freight-carrying bicycles in Korea many years ago.
He's trying to inflate using a gas station air pump -- usually a bad idea because the pump's pressure is not what the tube is expecting. Done all the time, but not the best choice.
And one has to wonder why he appears to inflating a tire without repairing the puncture: that tire didn't get that flat just from neglect.
Oh well...we don't know the background, but one wonders how it worked out for this kid.
And then a clothespin and a playing card. For real power, go with two clothespins and cards.
It's only flat on the bottom. (As my buddy would always say)
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