1909 Oldsmobile Limited automobile with driver, 1939

Item Overview

Title

1909 Oldsmobile Limited automobile with driver, 1939

Photographer

Bartlett, Adelbert, 1887-1966

Date Created

February 2, 1939

Date

1939-02-02

Language

No linguistic content

Collection

Adelbert Bartlett Papers, 1922-1950

Notes

Description

Photograph of a 1909 Oldsmobile Limited being driven on a street. The driver is a man wearing a shirt, jacket, pants and flat cap. He is seated behind a steering wheel that is situated on the right side of the vehicle. The luxury auto has a large wheel base and rides on massive spoke wheels. The tall chassis requires two running boards to climb into the car. A spare tire rests atop the lower running board and is attached to the driver side door with metal bars and straps. All trim, lantern side lights and headlights are probably brass (standard for this vehicle). License plate frame reads: “C. Stanlee Martin Long Beach.” License plate reads: “California World’s Fair 39 3Y954.” In the background, an electricity tower sits at the edge of a vacant lot, giving way to what looks like a residential neighborhood in the distance. Location unidentified, but possibly Long Beach (where the car’s owner worked and lived).
The car was purchased by C. Standlee Martin (an Oldsmobile dealer based in Long Beach) from its original owner. The car's license plate suggests that it was on display at the Golden Gate Exposition in 1939. For more information on this car, see the article, "Ancient Autos Resurrected: General Motors Hosts to Horseless Carriage Organization," Los Angeles Times, 12 Mar. 1939:E3.
For related clipping see "Relation" note.
Prior to the Model T, most automobiles had right-side steering wheels even though Americans have always driven on the right side of the road. Henry Ford altered the design, making left-steering standard with mass production of the Model T.

Caption

Text from negative sleeve: 2985. Oldsmobile auto made in 1909 cost $5500. Photo 2/2/39. Car stored 25 years "good as new" in 1939.

Physical Description

Extent

1 photographic negative

Keywords

Genre

acetate film
black-and-white photographs

Location

California

Resource type

still image

Subjects

Oldsmobile Limited automobile
Automobiles--American--California