Horse-Drawn Delivery Wagon Outside a Grocery Store, circa 1900

01

Artifact Overview

Before automobiles became practical, America relied on horses and horse-drawn vehicles to move people, freight, money, and information to places railroads and waterways didn't go. This photograph, taken at the turn of the twentieth century, shows a horse-drawn wagon used to deliver groceries.

Artifact Details

Artifact

Photographic print

Subject Date

circa 1900

Location

By Request in the Benson Ford Research Center

Object ID

71.1.1413

Credit

From the Collections of The Henry Ford. Gift of David M. Gwinn.

Material

Paper (Fiber product)

Color

Black-and-white (Colors)

02

Related Content

  • Delivery Wagon, Fehrenbach Table Luxuries, 1890-1915
    Set

    Horse-drawn Deliveries

    • 11 Artifacts
    Horse-drawn delivery wagons remained in use well into the automobile age. Even in the 1920s, it wasn't unusual to see milk, ice, or produce delivered by horse--especially in smaller towns. Horses were well suited to the frequent stops and starts along a route and could negotiate poor roads better than early motorized vehicles. As roads improved and trucks became less expensive to operate and maintain, the horse-drawn delivery wagon faded away.
  • A wooden horse railcar
    article

    Horse-Drawn Vehicles in the City

      American cities in the 18th and 19th centuries, the height of the Carriage Era, were horse- powered. Learn more and see examples from our collections.