American Road Marketing and Publicity Photographs Series

Biographical / Historical Note

Archivists at Ford Motor Company Archives received numbers of requests for images relating to the history of the Ford Motor Company and the history of the automobile in general. This sometimes led to the creation of artificial (rather than archival) collections....

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Archivists at Ford Motor Company Archives received numbers of requests for images relating to the history of the Ford Motor Company and the history of the automobile in general. This sometimes led to the creation of artificial (rather than archival) collections. An example is a set of photographs called American Road that was created primarily as a resource to help staff answer requests for historical photographs that fell under the heading "something about roads." As a compilation, it was intended to cover the general and often vague needs for illustrations depicting Ford Motor Company's place in the development of transportation and travel in America.

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Scope and Content Note

Although entitled American Road, the series is comprised primarily of visual documentation of Ford vehicles in the early 1900s, with additional, although fewer, images into the 1960s. In addition, a number of folders include images of transportation modes...

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Although entitled American Road, the series is comprised primarily of visual documentation of Ford vehicles in the early 1900s, with additional, although fewer, images into the 1960s. In addition, a number of folders include images of transportation modes before the automobile became prominent. The series is arranged alphabetically by subject. Topics include early roads, road construction, driving conditions, bridges, various utilizations of the Model T, women drivers, railroads, cityscapes, streetscapes, landscapes, and an occasional portrait. Most of the images, but not all, remain in the original format (prints and/or negatives) in various photograph collections held by The Henry Ford. Researchers should note that some images that were originally part of this series were integrated into the Photographic Prints Vertical File, Accession 1660, under the subject term Automobiles, Contemporary.

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Collection Details

Object ID: 64.167.1859.0
Creator: Ford Motor Company. Archives 
Inclusive Dates: 1903-1964
Size: 1.2 cubic ft. (3 boxes)
Language: English

Collection Access & Use

Item Location: Not Currently On Exhibit

Access Restrictions: The series is open for research. Access to negatives requires permission of curator.

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

Digitized Artifacts From This Collection

In many cases, not all artifacts have been digitized.
Contact us for more information about this collection.

Fixing the Tire on an REO Automobile, 1900-1909

  Details

Fixing the Tire on an REO Automobile, 1900-1909

View in our Collectionson thehenryford.org 

Artifact

Photographic print

Date Made

1912

Summary

Numerous tire blowouts plagued motorists on the poor roads of the early 20th century. The man in this photograph is either removing a tire for repair or replacing an already repaired tire. The REO Motor Car Company was a Lansing, Michigan-based company that began producing cars in 1905.

Object ID

P.188.27334

Credit

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

Location

By Request in the Benson Ford Research Center

Get more details in Digital Collections at:

thehenryford.org

Fixing the Tire on an REO Automobile, 1900-1909

View in our Collectionson thehenryford.org 

What is The Henry Ford?

The national attraction for discovering your ingenuity while exploring America’s spirit of innovation. There is always much to see and do at The Henry Ford.

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  Details

Camel Pack Train Crossing a Stream on a Stone Road, 1934

  Details

Camel Pack Train Crossing a Stream on a Stone Road, 1934

View in our Collectionson thehenryford.org 

Artifact

Photographic print

Summary

"Roads of the World" was part of the Ford Rotunda in Dearborn, Michigan. Visitors rode new Ford vehicles through reproductions of famous roadways from around the world. Ford spent $176,000 landscaping the attraction into historic and modern sections. To ensure a realistic, immersive experience, crews used reference photographs--like this one--to recreate the 19 "Roads of the World."

Creators

Unknown 

Object ID

P.188.10307

Credit

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

Location

By Request in the Benson Ford Research Center

Get more details in Digital Collections at:

thehenryford.org

Camel Pack Train Crossing a Stream on a Stone Road, 1934

View in our Collectionson thehenryford.org 

What is The Henry Ford?

The national attraction for discovering your ingenuity while exploring America’s spirit of innovation. There is always much to see and do at The Henry Ford.

VIEW CALENDAR

  Details

Woman Sweeping Stone-Paved Street, 1934

  Details

Woman Sweeping Stone-Paved Street, 1934

View in our Collectionson thehenryford.org 

Artifact

Photographic print

Summary

"Roads of the World" was part of the Ford Rotunda in Dearborn, Michigan. Visitors rode new Ford vehicles through reproductions of famous roadways from around the world. Ford spent $176,000 landscaping the attraction into historic and modern sections. To ensure a realistic, immersive experience, crews used reference photographs--like this one--to recreate the 19 "Roads of the World."

Creators

Unknown 

Object ID

P.188.10308

Credit

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

Location

By Request in the Benson Ford Research Center

Get more details in Digital Collections at:

thehenryford.org

Woman Sweeping Stone-Paved Street, 1934

View in our Collectionson thehenryford.org 

What is The Henry Ford?

The national attraction for discovering your ingenuity while exploring America’s spirit of innovation. There is always much to see and do at The Henry Ford.

VIEW CALENDAR

  Details

Stone Road in the Ruin of a City, 1934

  Details

Stone Road in the Ruin of a City, 1934

View in our Collectionson thehenryford.org 

Artifact

Photographic print

Summary

"Roads of the World" was part of the Ford Rotunda in Dearborn, Michigan. Visitors rode new Ford vehicles through reproductions of famous roadways from around the world. Ford spent $176,000 landscaping the attraction into historic and modern sections. To ensure a realistic, immersive experience, crews used reference photographs--like this one--to recreate the 19 "Roads of the World."

Creators

Unknown 

Object ID

P.188.10310

Credit

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

Location

By Request in the Benson Ford Research Center

Get more details in Digital Collections at:

thehenryford.org

Stone Road in the Ruin of a City, 1934

View in our Collectionson thehenryford.org 

What is The Henry Ford?

The national attraction for discovering your ingenuity while exploring America’s spirit of innovation. There is always much to see and do at The Henry Ford.

VIEW CALENDAR

  Details

Paved Road, circa 1935

  Details
Artifact

Photographic print

Summary

"Roads of the World" was part of the Ford Rotunda in Dearborn, Michigan. Visitors rode new Ford vehicles through reproductions of famous roadways from around the world. Ford spent $176,000 landscaping the attraction into historic and modern sections. To ensure a realistic, immersive experience, crews used reference photographs--like this one--to recreate the 19 "Roads of the World."

Creators

Unknown 

Object ID

P.189.11675

Credit

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

Location

By Request in the Benson Ford Research Center

Get more details in Digital Collections at:

thehenryford.org

What is The Henry Ford?

The national attraction for discovering your ingenuity while exploring America’s spirit of innovation. There is always much to see and do at The Henry Ford.

VIEW CALENDAR

  Details

Paved Road, circa 1935

  Details
Artifact

Photographic print

Summary

"Roads of the World" was part of the Ford Rotunda in Dearborn, Michigan. Visitors rode new Ford vehicles through reproductions of famous roadways from around the world. Ford spent $176,000 landscaping the attraction into historic and modern sections. To ensure a realistic, immersive experience, crews used reference photographs--like this one--to recreate the 19 "Roads of the World."

Creators

Unknown 

Object ID

P.189.11676

Credit

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

Location

By Request in the Benson Ford Research Center

Get more details in Digital Collections at:

thehenryford.org

What is The Henry Ford?

The national attraction for discovering your ingenuity while exploring America’s spirit of innovation. There is always much to see and do at The Henry Ford.

VIEW CALENDAR

  Details

Cross Section Drawings Showing Construction of the Appian Way, 1935

  Details

Cross Section Drawings Showing Construction of the Appian Way, 1935

View in our Collectionson thehenryford.org 

Artifact

Photographic print

Summary

"Roads of the Pacific" was part of the Ford Exhibit, the most popular attraction at the 1935 California Pacific International Exposition. Visitors rode in brand new Ford V-8s over 14 reproductions of famous roads from around the world. To construct a realistic, immersive experience, crews used reference photographs -- like this one -- to recreate sections of historic and modern routes.

Creators

Unknown 

Object ID

P.189.11688

Credit

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

Location

By Request in the Benson Ford Research Center

Get more details in Digital Collections at:

thehenryford.org

Cross Section Drawings Showing Construction of the Appian Way, 1935

View in our Collectionson thehenryford.org 

What is The Henry Ford?

The national attraction for discovering your ingenuity while exploring America’s spirit of innovation. There is always much to see and do at The Henry Ford.

VIEW CALENDAR

  Details

The Via Balbia, Coast Road Between Sirte and Misurata, Libya, circa 1950

  Details

The Via Balbia, Coast Road Between Sirte and Misurata, Libya, circa 1950

View in our Collectionson thehenryford.org 

Artifact

Photographic print

Summary

In 1913, Henry Ford established Ford Motor Company's photographic department. Though few internal records describe company photography, remaining photographs reveal a wide range of departmental activity. Over nearly 100 years, Ford photographers documented company ventures, personal affairs, and daily life around the world. This photograph shows an automobile on the Via Balbia, a highway along the Mediterranean coastline of Libya.

Creators

Unknown 

Object ID

64.167.1859.16

Credit

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

Location

By Request in the Benson Ford Research Center

Get more details in Digital Collections at:

thehenryford.org

The Via Balbia, Coast Road Between Sirte and Misurata, Libya, circa 1950

View in our Collectionson thehenryford.org 

What is The Henry Ford?

The national attraction for discovering your ingenuity while exploring America’s spirit of innovation. There is always much to see and do at The Henry Ford.

VIEW CALENDAR

  Details

Along the Appian Way, Italy, circa 1950

  Details

Along the Appian Way, Italy, circa 1950

View in our Collectionson thehenryford.org 

Artifact

Photographic print

Summary

In 1913, Henry Ford established Ford Motor Company's photographic department. Though few internal records describe company photography, remaining photographs reveal a wide range of departmental activity. Over nearly 100 years, Ford photographers documented company ventures, personal affairs, and daily life around the world. This photograph, taken from an automobile, captured people and ruins along an ancient Roman road in Italy.

Creators

Unknown 

Object ID

64.167.1859.18

Credit

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

Location

By Request in the Benson Ford Research Center

Get more details in Digital Collections at:

thehenryford.org

Along the Appian Way, Italy, circa 1950

View in our Collectionson thehenryford.org 

What is The Henry Ford?

The national attraction for discovering your ingenuity while exploring America’s spirit of innovation. There is always much to see and do at The Henry Ford.

VIEW CALENDAR

  Details