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Graham Brothers "Nomad" Motor Home, 1923

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Artifact Overview

The motorhome concept is nearly as old as the automobile, but the earliest forms were aftermarket conversions rather than factory products. This Nomad's body originally sat on a Ford Model TT chassis. It was remounted on a Graham Brothers truck chassis in 1928. Novelists John Stanton and Mary Chapman owned the Nomad for 47 years and visited 24 states with it.

Artifact Details

Artifact

Motor home

Date Made

1928

Creator Notes

Chassis manufactured in Detroit, Michigan by Graham Brothers, a division of Dodge Brothers. Body was built by Ruizicka Body Co. in Saint Louis, Missouri based on a design by John Stanton Chapman.

Location

Not on exhibit to the public.

Object ID

81.97.1

Credit

From the Collections of The Henry Ford. Gift of Robert Miller.

Material

Steel
Wood (Plant material)
Rubber (Material)
Cast iron
Cloth

Color

Gray (Color)
Black (Color)
Yellow (Color)
Green

Dimensions

Height: 108 in
Width: 79 in
Length: 19.3 ft
Weight: 2985 lbs
Wheelbase: 140 in

Inscriptions

On hubcaps: GB On center hood decal: GB / GRAHAM BROTHERS / DETROIT
Graham Brothers "Nomad" Motor Home, 1923