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.
Crash Testing at Ford Test Track, Dearborn, Michigan, 1955
Artifact
Photographic print
Date Made
16 August 1955
Summary
As automobiles grew larger and faster, dangers from accidents increased. Automakers began testing their vehicles in controlled collisions. In the 1950s, anthropomorphic dummies were added to the tests, to observe a crash's impact on the human body. More recently, dummies were equipped with highly sensitive instruments measuring the precise speeds and forces involved in a collision.
Place of Creation
Keywords
Object ID
64.167.1859.P.833.107680.3
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:
Crash Testing at Ford Test Track, Dearborn, Michigan, 1955
What is The Henry Ford?
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Spokane Toilet Supply Company Ford V-8 Van Truck, Washington, 1939
Artifact
Photographic print
Summary
Canopy roofs were common on gas stations by 1920 but fell out of favor in the mid-1930s. They added to the construction cost of a new station and, unless they were sufficiently high, prevented tall trucks from reaching the pumps. The transition to self-service pumps in the 1970s, and the need to attract customers even in bad weather, made canopies popular again.
Place of Creation
Keywords
Object ID
64.167.1859.P.833.71925.A
Credit
From the Collections of The Henry Ford. Gift of Ford Motor Company.
Location
Not on exhibit to the public.
Get more details in Digital Collections at:
Spokane Toilet Supply Company Ford V-8 Van Truck, Washington, 1939
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.
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.
Stone Walkway or Plaza, circa 1930
Artifact
Photographic print
Summary
"Roads of the World" was part of the Ford Building at Chicago's 1933-1934 Century of Progress Exposition. Visitors to this attraction rode new Ford vehicles through reproductions of historic and modern roadways. To construct a realistic, immersive experience, crews used reference photographs -- like this one -- to recreate sections of 21 different "Roads of the World."
Keywords
Century of Progress International Exposition (1933-1934 : Chicago, Ill.). Roads of the World Exhibit
Object ID
P.188.10309
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:
Stone Walkway or Plaza, circa 1930
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.
Two Historic South American Roads, circa 1930
Artifact
Photographic print
Summary
"Roads of the Pacific" was part of the Ford Exhibit, the most popular attraction at the 1935 California Pacific International Exposition. Visitors rode in brand new Ford V-8s over 14 reproductions of famous roads. Crews used reference photographs to construct a realistic, immersive visitor experience. These images helped them recreate part of the Inca Road, which spanned the South American Andes.
Object ID
P.189.11561
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:
Two Historic South American Roads, circa 1930
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.
Travel in South America: Visiting a Sugar Cane Plant and Driving in the Mountains, South America, circa 1930
Details
Travel in South America: Visiting a Sugar Cane Plant and Driving in the Mountains, South America, circa 1930
Artifact
Photographic print
Summary
"Roads of the Pacific" was part of the Ford Exhibit, the most popular attraction at the 1935 California Pacific International Exposition. Visitors rode in brand new Ford V-8s over 14 reproductions of famous roads. Crews used reference photographs to construct a realistic, immersive visitor experience. These images helped them recreate part of the Inca Road, which spanned the South American Andes.
Object ID
P.189.11566
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:
Travel in South America: Visiting a Sugar Cane Plant and Driving in the Mountains, South America, circa 1930
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.
Horse Walking Down Slope, South America, circa 1930
Artifact
Photographic print
Summary
"Roads of the Pacific" was part of the Ford Exhibit, the most popular attraction at the 1935 California Pacific International Exposition. Visitors rode in brand new Ford V-8s over 14 reproductions of famous roads. Crews used reference photographs to construct a realistic, immersive visitor experience. This image helped them recreate part of the Inca Road, which spanned the South American Andes.
Object ID
P.189.11570
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:
Horse Walking Down Slope, South America, circa 1930
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.
"Glimpse of the Royal Road of the Incas, Peru," circa 1930
Artifact
Photographic print
Summary
"Roads of the Pacific" was part of the Ford Exhibit, the most popular attraction at the 1935 California Pacific International Exposition. Visitors rode in brand new Ford V-8s over 14 reproductions of famous roads. Crews used reference photographs to construct a realistic, immersive visitor experience. This image helped them recreate part of the Inca Road, which spanned the South American Andes.
Object ID
P.189.11606
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:
"Glimpse of the Royal Road of the Incas, Peru," circa 1930
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.
"Toll Gate, Turnpike Movements, Telford Road System, McAdam Road System"
Artifact
Photographic print
Summary
In the 19th century, road improvements in the United States tended to be private efforts financed by investors and supported by tolls. This illustration shows two methods of road construction. The Telford system used a base layer of stone blocks and an upper layer of smaller interlocking stones to support the road surface. Macadam (or McAdam) roads eliminated the stone-block foundation.
Keywords
Object ID
P.O.3809
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:
"Toll Gate, Turnpike Movements, Telford Road System, McAdam Road System"
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.
