Front Suspension Bike 1889

Here is a nifty front end suspension for a bicycle, from 1889.  In this design, when the front wheel hits a bump the front wheel and handlebars move up in relation to the frame.  Thus the rider is not really protected from shock, it seems to me.  Am I seeing how this works incorrectly? 

Comments

you're mostly right. modern front suspensions allow the hands to stay relatively still while the wheel bounces over a bump, which is much more comfortable. this may in fact depict something more like rear suspension, since its the seat that is allowed to sink when the wheel jumps. given the position of the seat in relation to the travel, of the top tube, here, its unlikely that this suspension would accomplish anything at all, really. a note: in this picture, the spring seems to be nothing more than a bended piece of metal labeled "X," and it seems highly unlikely to be able to support the weight that would be on it normally. it looks like the top tube would sink down as soon as the rider sat upon the vehicle.