Looks like the big and little wheels are opposite the normal configuration and I just learned why from http://tuesday-johnson.tumblr.com/
that also had this photo and the caption:
George Pressey invented the Star Safety in 1880. In an attempt to make a safer bicycle he altered the ordinary’s configuration so that the small wheel was now in the front handling the steering, while the rider sat above the rear drive wheel. This helped to combat the tendency of the ordinary to pitch the rider forward when encountering an obstacle.”
