Ford Gas Station Attendant at Gasoline Pumps, December 1934

THF265836 / Ford Gas Station Attendant at Gasoline Pumps, December 1934
01

Artifact Overview

The first uniformed gas station attendants appeared around 1914. Attendants worked long hours in all weather, possessed a thorough knowledge of service requirements for various automobile makes and models, improvised quick repairs on the spot, provided directions to lost travelers, and did it all with a smile. Attendants disappeared with the widespread adoption of self-service pumps in the 1970s.

Artifact Details

Artifact

Photographic print

Date Made

22 December 1934

Subject Date

22 December 1934

Location

By Request in the Benson Ford Research Center

Object ID

64.167.833.P.61447

Credit

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

Material

Paper (Fiber product)
Linen (Material)

Technique

Gelatin silver process

Color

Black-and-white (Colors)

Dimensions

Height: 7.875 in
Width: 11 in

02

Related Content

  • Mobil Gasoline Station, circa 1965
    Set

    Gas Stations

    • 25 Artifacts
    After falling from favor in the mid-1930s due to their cost and complexity, canopy roofs reappeared over American gas stations three decades later. The transition to self-service pumps required that customers be protected from inclement weather. The mushroom-style canopies at this Mobil station also provided plenty of light for motorists filling up their cars at night.