1931 Ford Victoria Coupe on Assembly Line at Rouge Plant, 1931

THF122719 / 1931 Ford Victoria Coupe on Assembly Line at Rouge Plant, 1931
01

Artifact Overview

In the final stages of assembly, the body of a 1931 Ford Model A is lowered onto its chassis. Ford's assembly line resembled a river system. Smaller lines or "streams" fed components -- frames, engines, wheels, bodies -- to the larger final line. All the parts came together in this main "river" line where the car took shape in its completed form.

Artifact Details

Artifact

Photographic print

Date Made

06 March 1931

Subject Date

06 March 1931

Location

By Request in the Benson Ford Research Center

Object ID

84.1.1660.P.833.55974

Credit

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

Material

Paper (Fiber product)

Technique

Gelatin silver process

Color

Black-and-white (Colors)

Dimensions

Height: 8.25 in
Width: 10.5 in

02

Related Content

  • Workers on Assembly Line at Ford Motor Company Rouge Plant, 1932
    Set

    The Rouge as Seen by Diego Rivera

    • 44 Artifacts
    Engineers at Ford's Highland Park plant had fine-tuned the moving assembly line. With this experience in hand, Ford created the "B" Building at its new River Rouge complex with extensive conveyer systems to accommodate the flow of parts and assembly processes. Here, line workers prepare chassis on the assembly line before they are coupled with their respective bodies.
  • Criss-crossed Conveyors at Ford Rouge Plant, 1927
    Set

    The Rouge

    • 22 Artifacts
    In 1927, Ford Motor Company commissioned Charles Sheeler to do a series of documentary photographs of its River Rouge industrial complex near Dearborn, Michigan. The conveyors moved coal and coke to the pulverizing building and screening stations. Coke made from coal was used in the steelmaking process of the blast furnaces. This vigorous photograph shows Sheeler's ability to form a compelling image from a complicated scene.