Composite Image Depicting Henry Ford and Spider Huff Driving the Sweepstakes Racer at Grosse Pointe Racetrack, 1901
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Artifact Overview
Composite photographic print of Henry Ford (driver) and Ed "Spider" Huff, riding mechanic, (riding the sideboard) driving Sweepstakes, Ford's first race car, to victory at the Grosse Pointe Race Track, Grosse Point, Michigan, October 10, 1901. Originally produced by VanLeyen and Hensler Photographic Company of Detroit, this 1953 reprint is composed of two separate images; the race track grandstands and track and a posed photo of Henry Ford and Ed Huff. The composite image celebrates Henry Ford's first racing victory over Alexander Winton, then the most well-known auto maker in the United States.
Artifact Details
Artifact
Photographic print
Subject Date
1901
Creators
Place of Creation
Creator Notes
The original composite photograph was created by VanLeyen & Hensler, Detroit, Michigan.
Collection Title
Location
Not on exhibit to the public.
Object ID
84.1.1660.P.O.1263
Credit
From the Collections of The Henry Ford. Gift of Ford Motor Company.
Material
Paper (Fiber product)
Technique
Gelatin silver process
Retouching
Color
Black-and-white (Colors)
Dimensions
Height: 8.25 in
Width: 10 in
Inscriptions
Inscribed in image, lower right corner: VanLeyen & Hensler Detroit, Mich.
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Mason Colbert placed third with this car in the 1939 All-American Soap Box Derby national championship in Akron, Ohio. The first official derby was held in 1934. Young contestants built their cars from soap boxes, orange crates, and baby carriage wheels. Over the years, designs became more elaborate and materials more sophisticated. But the "fuel" remained the same -- gravity.