Early Auto Photographer’s Studio Prop

[Bob Barrett]

 I’ve seen a few posts like this before, and wanted to add one of mine from an old family album. I really enjoy these pictures from the time when automobiles were still a novelty to many Americans. At this point in time, everyone knew what they were, but many still did not own one. Photo opportunities like these were very popular at fairs and amusement parks, which shows the place that the rapidly advancing auto culture held at that point in time.

This photo was taken at Coney Island, and the young lady behind the wheel is my Grandmother. Grandma always said that the picture was taken around 1910; and the 1911 license plate on the car would seem to bear that out. Now come the questions that  run through all of these similar posts. Is it a real car or a studio prop, and if real, then what is it? The license plate hints that it may be real, but is certainly not proof.

Thanks for looking, and for any ideas about the auto.

Bob

[Terry Bond]

Thanks for posting Bob, these are a lot of fun to collect.  I've got a lot of them on postcards, since it was popular for tourists to get their photos taken while on vacation, get a postcard made, and send to friends and family.  Interesting that many of the people shown behind the steering wheel probably never owned or actually drove a car.  "Look what I did on my trip to ....."   I've also got a few tintype photos done using studio props also.  Apparently some photo studios were too cheap to mock up an "almost" real car.

Terry

Edited December 15, 2020 by Terry Bond (see edit history)

[Bob Barrett]

Terry, Great stuff as usual. Picture number 2 gave me a good chuckle. Interesting steering wheel/wheels in pic number 3.

Thanks,   Bob