Traffic Policeman Standing in Intersection with Stop Sign, Detroit, Michigan, circa 1920

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Artifact Overview

Before traffic lights, policemen used hand-operated devices called semaphores to regulate traffic. Officers blew a warning whistle before changing signals. The officer in this circa 1920 photograph controls traffic near the Hotel Pontchartrain in Detroit, Michigan.

Artifact Details

Artifact

Photographic print

Subject Date

circa 1920

Location

By Request in the Benson Ford Research Center

Object ID

87.135.1759

Credit

From the Collections of The Henry Ford. Gift of the Automobile Club of Michigan.

Material

Paper (Fiber product)

Color

Black-and-white (Colors)

Dimensions

Height: 8 in.
Width: 10 in.

Inscriptions

Typed on back of image: Michigan-- Ancient Handwritten in ink on back: Ame. Youth / #1322-57 / Pg 6 & 19
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Related Content

  • "Popular Science," April 1946
    Set

    Safety

    • 31 Artifacts
    Popular Science provided information about scientific and technological advancements. In the early 1900s articles about the automobile -- and its driver -- became commonplace in the monthly's pages. Editors included a series of articles on automobile safety in this April 1946 issue. In one article, readers could test their knowledge of safe driving.