Oil Rack and Bottles, 1926-1950
Add to SetSummary
Electric gas pumps gave station attendants more time to focus on customer service. Attendants would wash windows, check tire pressures, polish radiators, look for loose hoses or belts under the hood, and check and fill oil as needed. By the 1930s, many gas stations offered complete oil changes -- a welcome new revenue source during the Great Depression.
Electric gas pumps gave station attendants more time to focus on customer service. Attendants would wash windows, check tire pressures, polish radiators, look for loose hoses or belts under the hood, and check and fill oil as needed. By the 1930s, many gas stations offered complete oil changes -- a welcome new revenue source during the Great Depression.
Artifact
Oil rack
Date Made
1926-1950
Creators
Place of Creation
United States, Michigan, Kalamazoo
United States, Illinois, Litchfield
Creator Notes
Rack made by Jay B. Rhodes Co. in Kalamazoo, Michigan and bottle spouts made by the Master Manufacturing Co. in Litchfield, Illinois.

On Exhibit
at Henry Ford Museum in Driving America
Object ID
87.194.26
Credit
From the Collections of The Henry Ford.
Material
Steel (Alloy)
Glass (Material)
Cork (Bark)
Dimensions
Height: 15 in
Width: 9 in
Length: 18 in
Inscriptions
On spouts: THE / MASTER / MFG. CO / LITCHFIELD, /ILL. / PAT'D SEPT 14 1926 Handle of rack: JAY B. RHODES CO.