American Road Marketing and Publicity Photographs Series
A set of photographs called American Road that was created primarily as a resource to help staff of the Ford Motor Company Archives answer requests for historical photographs that fell under the heading "something about roads."
Biographical / Historical Note
Archivists at Ford Motor Company Archives received numbers of requests for images relating to the history of the Ford Motor Company and the history of the automobile in general. This sometimes led to the creation of artificial (rather than archival) collections....
MoreArchivists at Ford Motor Company Archives received numbers of requests for images relating to the history of the Ford Motor Company and the history of the automobile in general. This sometimes led to the creation of artificial (rather than archival) collections. An example is a set of photographs called American Road that was created primarily as a resource to help staff answer requests for historical photographs that fell under the heading "something about roads." As a compilation, it was intended to cover the general and often vague needs for illustrations depicting Ford Motor Company's place in the development of transportation and travel in America.
LessScope and Content Note
Although entitled American Road, the series is comprised primarily of visual documentation of Ford vehicles in the early 1900s, with additional, although fewer, images into the 1960s. In addition, a number of folders include images of transportation modes...
MoreAlthough entitled American Road, the series is comprised primarily of visual documentation of Ford vehicles in the early 1900s, with additional, although fewer, images into the 1960s. In addition, a number of folders include images of transportation modes before the automobile became prominent. The series is arranged alphabetically by subject. Topics include early roads, road construction, driving conditions, bridges, various utilizations of the Model T, women drivers, railroads, cityscapes, streetscapes, landscapes, and an occasional portrait. Most of the images, but not all, remain in the original format (prints and/or negatives) in various photograph collections held by The Henry Ford. Researchers should note that some images that were originally part of this series were integrated into the Photographic Prints Vertical File, Accession 1660, under the subject term Automobiles, Contemporary.
LessCollection Details
Object ID: 64.167.1859.0
Creator: Ford Motor Company. Archives
Inclusive Dates: 1903-1964
Size: 1.2 cubic ft. (3 boxes)
Language: English
Collection Access & Use
Item Location: Not Currently On Exhibit
Access Restrictions: The series is open for research. Access to negatives requires permission of curator.
Credit: From the Collections of The Henry Ford. Gift of Ford Motor Company.
Digitized Artifacts From This Collection
In many cases, not all artifacts have been digitized.
Contact us for more information about this collection.
Fixing the Tire on an REO Automobile, 1900-1909
Artifact
Photographic print
Date Made
1912
Summary
Numerous tire blowouts plagued motorists on the poor roads of the early 20th century. The man in this photograph is either removing a tire for repair or replacing an already repaired tire. The REO Motor Car Company was a Lansing, Michigan-based company that began producing cars in 1905.
Place of Creation
Keywords
Object ID
P.188.27334
Credit
From the Collections of The Henry Ford. Gift of Ford Motor Company.
Location
By Request in the Benson Ford Research Center
Get more details in Digital Collections at:
Fixing the Tire on an REO Automobile, 1900-1909
What is The Henry Ford?
The national attraction for discovering your ingenuity while exploring America’s spirit of innovation. There is always much to see and do at The Henry Ford.
19th Century Illustration Showing a Path through a Primeval Forest
Artifact
Photographic print
Summary
This sketch illustrates the often densely forested 19th-century American interior. Such trails could hardly accommodate a horse and rider, yet alone horse-drawn vehicles. The construction of practical transportation routes - roads, canals, and railroads - would be an immense undertaking in the United States throughout the 1800s.
Object ID
P.O.3810
Credit
From the Collections of The Henry Ford. Gift of Ford Motor Company.
Location
By Request in the Benson Ford Research Center
Get more details in Digital Collections at:
19th Century Illustration Showing a Path through a Primeval Forest
What is The Henry Ford?
The national attraction for discovering your ingenuity while exploring America’s spirit of innovation. There is always much to see and do at The Henry Ford.
Ford Model T on a Forest Road, British Columbia, Canada, 1913
Artifact
Photographic print
Summary
A monthly publication of Ford Motor Company, Ford Times was distributed worldwide at no cost. Its purpose was to cultivate loyalty among Ford owners and attract new customers. Images like this one from the February 1914 issue of Canadian Ford Times suggested the dependability and freedom that came alongside Ford ownership.
Keywords
Object ID
P.O.3984
Credit
From the Collections of The Henry Ford. Gift of Ford Motor Company.
Location
By Request in the Benson Ford Research Center
Get more details in Digital Collections at:
Ford Model T on a Forest Road, British Columbia, Canada, 1913
What is The Henry Ford?
The national attraction for discovering your ingenuity while exploring America’s spirit of innovation. There is always much to see and do at The Henry Ford.
Auto Parade, Plasterer's Union Number 167, El Paso, Texas, circa 1913
Artifact
Photographic print
Summary
In 1913, Henry Ford established Ford Motor Company's photographic department. Though few internal records describe company photography, remaining photographs reveal a wide range of departmental activity. Ford photographers collected images and created new photographs, documenting -- among many other things -- how people incorporated automobiles into their lives. A Texas plasterer's union employed these early cars in a celebratory parade.
Creators
Keywords
Object ID
64.167.1859.P.188.15734
Credit
From the Collections of The Henry Ford. Gift of Ford Motor Company.
Location
By Request in the Benson Ford Research Center
Get more details in Digital Collections at:
Auto Parade, Plasterer's Union Number 167, El Paso, Texas, circa 1913
What is The Henry Ford?
The national attraction for discovering your ingenuity while exploring America’s spirit of innovation. There is always much to see and do at The Henry Ford.
Detroit, Toledo and Ironton Railroad Crossing, Lima, Ohio, 1923
Artifact
Photographic print
Summary
This rural railroad crossing near Lima, Ohio, illustrates an early danger to motorists and railroaders. Vegetation along the track obscured drivers' vision, and fast-moving trains could not stop quickly. Drivers were advised to "stop, look and listen," as written on the crossing sign's post, before they proceeded over railroad tracks. Improved warning devices and safety awareness campaigns made crossings safer.
Keywords
Object ID
P.189.2038
Credit
From the Collections of The Henry Ford. Gift of Ford Motor Company.
Location
By Request in the Benson Ford Research Center
Get more details in Digital Collections at:
Detroit, Toledo and Ironton Railroad Crossing, Lima, Ohio, 1923
What is The Henry Ford?
The national attraction for discovering your ingenuity while exploring America’s spirit of innovation. There is always much to see and do at The Henry Ford.
Tacoma, Washington and Mount Rainier, 1890-1910
Artifact
Photographic print
Summary
From 1895 to 1924, the Detroit Publishing Company was one of the major image publishers in the world. The company had a wide-ranging stock of original photographs, including many scenes from across North America. Here, Mount Rainier looms behind the city of Tacoma on Washington's Puget Sound.
Creators
Object ID
P.O.3913
Credit
From the Collections of The Henry Ford. Gift of Ford Motor Company.
Location
By Request in the Benson Ford Research Center
Get more details in Digital Collections at:
Tacoma, Washington and Mount Rainier, 1890-1910
What is The Henry Ford?
The national attraction for discovering your ingenuity while exploring America’s spirit of innovation. There is always much to see and do at The Henry Ford.
Waterfront at Toledo, Ohio, 1900-1910
Artifact
Photographic print
Summary
For nearly thirty years, 1895 to 1924, the Detroit Publishing Company was one of the major image publishers in the world. The company had a wide-ranging stock of original photographs, including this panoramic image of Toledo, Ohio. With canal and railroad connections, the city was an important seaport along Lake Erie.
Object ID
P.O.3920
Credit
From the Collections of The Henry Ford. Gift of Ford Motor Company.
Location
By Request in the Benson Ford Research Center
Get more details in Digital Collections at:
Waterfront at Toledo, Ohio, 1900-1910
What is The Henry Ford?
The national attraction for discovering your ingenuity while exploring America’s spirit of innovation. There is always much to see and do at The Henry Ford.
Children in Automobiles on a City Street Ready for a Procession, circa 1908
Artifact
Photographic print
Object ID
P.O.4984
Credit
From the Collections of The Henry Ford. Gift of Ford Motor Company.
Location
By Request in the Benson Ford Research Center
Get more details in Digital Collections at:
Children in Automobiles on a City Street Ready for a Procession, circa 1908
What is The Henry Ford?
The national attraction for discovering your ingenuity while exploring America’s spirit of innovation. There is always much to see and do at The Henry Ford.
Sign Warning Drivers in the Cimiotti Garage, New York City, circa 1910
Artifact
Photographic print
Summary
In 1913, Henry Ford established Ford Motor Company's photographic department. Though few internal records describe company photography, remaining photographs reveal a wide range of departmental activity. Over nearly 100 years, Ford photographers documented company ventures, personal affairs, and daily life around the world. This image shows a warning sign posted in a New York City service garage around 1910.
Keywords
Object ID
64.167.1859.90
Credit
From the Collections of The Henry Ford. Gift of Ford Motor Company.
Location
By Request in the Benson Ford Research Center
Get more details in Digital Collections at:
Sign Warning Drivers in the Cimiotti Garage, New York City, circa 1910
What is The Henry Ford?
The national attraction for discovering your ingenuity while exploring America’s spirit of innovation. There is always much to see and do at The Henry Ford.
