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Why was the ordinary bicycle also called a penny-farthing?

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An African American family of four, all wearing helmets, rides bicycles together on a tree-lined country trail, with two children in front and two adults following behind. — bicycle Family bicycling on a country road.

The term "penny-farthing" originated in Britain as a pejorative nickname for the "ordinary" bicycle, which was common between 1870 and 1890.123

The name was derived from a visual comparison of the bicycle's wheels to British currency: the large front wheel resembled the sizable penny, while the much smaller rear wheel resembled the farthing (a coin worth one-quarter of a penny).23

While enthusiasts of the era preferred the term "ordinary"—referring to its standard design before the advent of the chain-driven "safety bicycle"—the name "penny-farthing" was popularized by critics, including youths of the 1890s, to highlight the disproportionate size of the wheels.23