Policeman Standing in Traffic Control Tower at an Intersection in Detroit, Michigan, circa 1922

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Artifact Overview

In the late 1910s and 1920s, many cities used traffic towers to make it easier for traffic officers to see -- and to be seen by -- drivers. The Detroit tower pictured here also utilized signal lights with red, green, and amber lenses to aid the occupying officer in traffic control.

Artifact Details

Artifact

Photographic print

Subject Date

circa 1922

Location

By Request in the Benson Ford Research Center

Object ID

84.1.1660.P.188.29286

Credit

From the Collections of The Henry Ford. Gift of Ford Motor Company.

Material

Linen (Material)
Paper (Fiber product)

Technique

Gelatin silver process

Color

Black-and-white (Colors)

Dimensions

Height: 7.5 in
Width: 11 in

Inscriptions

Handwritten into copy image, lower center front: Jefferson and Blvd / Traffic Control Tower. / Upper signal lights / 12-250 Watt / Lower signal lights 8-96 Watt / Red, Green / and Amber / lenses / P.L.C. service.