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Washington, D.C., circa 1907. "A.L. McCormick garage, New York Avenue." Early automobile retailing in the nation's capital, an outpost of what the Washington Post called "the world's greatest fad." Harris & Ewing Collection. View full size.
I really studied this photo and there are a few ironic things I noticed within it.
Ironic how inside the window is the future of transportation, and outside, the other window reflects what will soon come to pass -- the horse and carriage.
Another thing. The car is going to be "right" (facing) while the horse and carriage will be "left" -- left behind in years to come.
That automobile may have been a prototype of the Leslie Special.
Any Thomas Flyer Model 4-60 is probably worth quite a bit more than just $102,291 today. One was sold at auction in 2008 for over a million dollars.
$102,291 for a car in today's dollars?! I've got to share this with all those folks who wax nostalgic about how everything was oh, so much cheaper in the good old days.
Peerless, Stevens-Duryea and Thomas. Pretty heady company for the comparatively inexpensive Buick. I suppose they needed something for the "common" man to drive while he saved for the premium brand. 103 years later, Buick is still with us while the others rest in peace or in the collections of millionaires.
Okay, I give up. Attempted to google New York Ave in DC and there is no such animal. Did they vote to eliminate New York??? Oh, and I love the eagle on the lamppost.
[Sounds like your Googler is broken. - Dave]
Is the equivalent of $102,291 in 2009. Kinda pricey but not completely out of line.
This might be a 1907 Buick Model F in the window. Anyone else have an idea?
[Thomas Flyer, Model 4-60. - Dave]
I love the detailed architecture in the buildings. Even the stairs of the building on the left have lacy scrollwork. The chimneys don't just go straight up to the top in plain old bricks; the bricks are laid out artfully with a pleasing design. The window framings are pretty. Almost every part of the exterior of the buildings are intricately designed and pleasing to look at. All those nooks and crannies must have been hard to keep CLEAN, though, especially without power-washers.
I see the fine art of making doughnuts in the street with wheels of one sort or another was alive and well in 1907. Those tracks in the street don't appear to be from an automobile, though. I'm really curious as to how they got there. A cart? A really NARROW automobile? A chariot?
[I think you're misinterpreting tracks made by all four wheels. - Dave]
Having grown up with car lots and huge showrooms, I'm always surprised at the storefront dealers.
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