Locomobile showroom hardbound album from 1920

[Walt G]

Locomobile is one of my very favorite cars. Don't have one now but did some decades ago - a type I that I located and restored a full set of proper lamps for, made a new dashboard, new front fenders and then had some health trouble and sold it realizing that I would not be able to complete its restoration.

What you see here is part of the collection on Locomobiles of the WWI to 1930 era materiaI have. I purchased it in Texas some years ago. It means a lot to me as it is for the New York City dealership that was just west of Columbus Circle in Manhattan. Great story behind the owner of the dealership  - E.S. Hare . Note the Hare's motors embossed in gold on the cover . The album is hard bound by Shipman & Sons of N Y in their "common sense" binder. ( so they called it!) All the photographs are mounted on linen! 14 pages and is 12 x 15 inches. Hard cover and is quite a "stout" piece of literature.

I hope to do an in depth story of Locomobile in the WWI to 1930 era and use this album as well as all the other Locomobile material I have to provide information and images in the near future. The prints mounted on linen in the album were made from glass plate negatives of near similar size ( most likely 8 x 10 inches) as that was the working mode for commercial photographers in that era. Glass plate images are so incredibly clear to the point you can see dust on the fenders.............. I dated the album to 1920 because the license plates on the cars are all from 1920 - New York.

 

[prewarnut]

Walt, That looks like a great resource! We look forward to seeing these elegant carriages.

[alsancle]

Wow

[edinmass]

Nice Loco album. I have seen similar in Duesenberg J, Leyland Lincoln, Series 80 Pierce, and a few others. Rare and unusual. 

[Walt G]

Thanks guys, all this needs to be put together in a comprehensive story for a "good read" so more people then just me gets to see what I have collected here for decades. One just has to have the material available and even know it exists and what publications from that era a century ago hold information - especially the odd industry focused publications, or dealer or owner publications that were sent out by the car manufacturers to specific people. SO much of that is not in existence now , got trashed because who saved it when it was even 4 years old?

Walt

[alsfarms]

What a nice endeavor from you, being a Locomobile guy like the rest of us.  Thanks for making your information available in the article that you are going to create.

Al

[John Bloom]

Walt, the gems you drop into the forum for our enjoyment never ceases to amaze me. 
 

that is such a cool piece of history. 
 

 

[Walt G]

John, thanks. As I do research for stories I reacquaint myself with stuff in my collection - knew it was there but there was no need to really look at it even once a year. When I do look at stuff  I think that there has to be others that would like to see it because it is just different.  I hope it inspires some of you to to look at the "different" things you can, and perhaps appreciate what it is more - imagine showing this to a customer and paying to have the book made. This was done by the NY dealer not the Locomobile factory. If it was done by the factory all the locations for the photographs wouldn't be NY nor all the cars have NY license plates.  I do like to share stuff as you are all aware of by now.

Walt