by "Berang" (berang)
Published 06/25/2017 at 21:43
by "Berang" (berang)
Published 06/25/2017 at 21:43
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Looking through antique photos on ebay, looking for good photos of old cars I began to notice that I was seeing a particular car show up in LOTS of old photos...
So I found this very interesting. This is not different examples of a particular model, it is THE same car, reappearing over and over again. From what I can figure out from the details given in the different listings, this car was used as a prop for traveling photo studio that moved from town to town setting up at town fairs, carnivals, etc. People would go have their photo taken in the car, in front of a backdrop that seems to have been altered to fit whatever locale the photographer was operating in. The photographer would then print the resulting photo on a postcard. The car itself is much older than the photographs, but the photographs themselves mostly seem to be from the 1910s to early 1920s, when sitting in a car would have still been a novelty for a lot of people.
So I’ve got a pretty good eye for prewar cars, but this one took me a while to figure out. I’ll give a hint: the biggest clue is the very peculiar control layout on the steering column. Can you figure it out?
edited to add this photo:
I’m pretty sure this is the same car, but it’s hard to say for certain since it is photographed from the other side and the characteristic backdrop is missing - possibly made before it was painted? At this point the car itself may have still been new enough to be a novelty on its own.
Edited for even more pics:
"beardsbynelly - Rikerbeard" (beardsbynelly-Rikerbeard)
06/25/2017 at 21:51, STARS: 0
1906-1908 Cadillac model M/S/T?
"Berang" (berang)
06/25/2017 at 21:51, STARS: 0
You’re in the right era, and it is American, but not a Cadillac.
"Kiltedpadre" (kiltedpadre)
06/25/2017 at 22:09, STARS: 0
Pullman Model H?
"Berang" (berang)
06/25/2017 at 22:13, STARS: 0
Nope. Rather more downmarket. Another hint: this brand is better remembered by people today for cars from a much later era.
"beardsbynelly - Rikerbeard" (beardsbynelly-Rikerbeard)
06/26/2017 at 00:35, STARS: 0
I’ve got no idea, half of them used the same coachbuilders so it’s difficult to go off anything if you don’t know all the clues. Unless you’re throwing me a bone with it’s one of the earlier “American’s”
"Berang" (berang)
06/26/2017 at 01:18, STARS: 0
Well like I said in the OP, the way the controls are set up on the steering column is entirely unique to this particular company. The body would normally be tricky, but this was a mass produced car, and they all look roughly alike. The other hint is it’s a 1905.
"Berang" (berang)
06/26/2017 at 01:30, STARS: 0
Alright I’ll give it away:
1905 Rambler.
The Rambler’s “finger tip control” throttle ring was the giveaway:
The details of the body and fittings all check out for a 1905 model.