Finding Aid for AUTOMOTIVE RELATED PROGRAMS COLLECTION, 1896-1991 Accession 1708 Finding Aid Published: January 2011 20900 Oakwood Boulevard ∙ Dearborn, MI 48124-5029 USA [email protected] ∙ www.thehenryford.org 1 Accession #1708 Automotive-Related Programs 1896-1991 Approximately 11 cubic feet Acquisition: The collection was donated to Henry Ford Museum and Greenfield Village It is an artificial collection composed of material obtained largely from Austin Clark Collection with some additional documents added Access: The collection is open to research Processed By: Jessica Lehr & Research Center Staff, 2000 Contents Scope and Content Note.............................................................................................….2 Series: I. Antique Automobile Exhibits and Collector Events..................................5 II. Automobile Shows.....................................................................................6 III. Motorcycle and Bicycle Races and Shows................................................11 IV. Commemorative Programs........................................................................12 V. Automobile Races and Competitions.........................................................13 VI. Touring Events and Rallies........................................................................25 2 Scope and Content Note The Automotive-Related Programs Collection is composed primarily of programs and score cards dealing with automobile events. This collection also includes information on other modes of transportation related to the rise of automobile use, such as horse-drawn carriages, bicycles, motorcycles and airplanes. The programs have been organized topically within the following six series: I. Antique Automobile Exhibits and Collector Events II. Automobile Shows III. Motorcycle and Bicycle Races and Shows IV. Commemorative Programs V. Automobile Races and Competitions VI. Touring Events and Rallies They are organized chronologically within the series. Antique Automobile Exhibits and Collector Events contains programs and souvenir programs of events which are limited to a particular type of make of vehicle or to vehicles which were antiques at the time of the event. These primarily feature automobiles or “horseless carriages,” but also occasionally include other modes of transportation, including horse-drawn carriages and bicycles. Of particular interest is the original program from the 1896 International Horse and Horseless Carriage and Roads Locomotion exhibit in Great Britain. This program includes detailed listings and descriptions of the vehicles, photographs, drawings, paintings and other materials on exhibit, as well as information on those loaning them to the exhibit, a number of whom were members of late 19th century British aristocracy. Automobile Shows contains programs and memorabilia from automobile shows usually sponsored and arranged by dealers and representing more than one manufacturer. The vehicles showcased are contemporary relative to the time period of the show. Though these primarily showcase automobiles, some of the shows also include other modes of transportation such as bicycles, motor boats and airplanes. This series includes many original programs from the early national and international exhibitions and salons in New York, Boston and other United States cities, including the First National Exhibition of Cycles, Automobiles and Accessories in New York City in 1900. In addition to valuable information on automobiles and other modes of transportation, these programs often include detailed concert programs for performances held at the exhibitions, as well as advertisements for automotive-related products and services, men’s and women’s fashions, restaurants, music and other examples of the time period’s popular culture. Of particular interest is the portrayal of women in the advertisements and cover illustrations. 3 Motorcycle and Bicycle Races and Shows contains programs, souvenir programs and score cards of motorcycle or bicycle competitions and events. This series also includes an occasional horseracing event. Among other things, this series includes programs for international motorcycle races in Daytona, Florida. Commemorative Programs includes programs of a commemorative nature, usually illustrating a theme of a particular show or exhibit. Generally, the theme celebrates the history of transportation, often focusing upon the automobile industry, but including many other modes of transportation. Of special interest in this series is the program from a 1934 theatrical presentation, Wings of a Century: The Romance of Transportation, and a number of programs in celebration of the automotive industry’s golden jubilee in 1946. Automobile Races and Competitions includes programs and score cards of automobile races and other events of a competitive nature run on tracks, airport runways and public roads to test equipment, durability and speed. This is the largest series in the collection and is divided into two sub-series, or subcategories: Vintage/Veteran Automobile Races and Competitions, which includes programs and score cards from competitive events featuring vehicles that were considered antique at the time of the event. Contemporary Automobile Races and Competitions, which includes programs and score cards from competitive events featuring vehicles contemporary to the time period of the competition. Of particular interest in this sub-series are the programs from the Vanderbilt Cup Races, the Indianapolis 500-Mile Races and programs from races held at Watkins Glen in New York and the Michigan Motor Speedway in the Irish Hills of SE Michigan. Of special interest in this series are the numerous pictures and biographical information on the drivers that participated in the various races, as well as information on the construction of highways and raceways and the emergence of traffic rules and rules of automotive safety. Also of particular interest are, the emergence and influence of automobile and racing clubs in the United States, including the Women’s Sports Car Club, and advertisements, concert programs, automobile humor and other indicators of popular culture. Touring Events and Rallies contains programs of touring events and rallies designed to promote automobiles and their use by showing reliability, versatility and workmanship rather than speed. This series is divided into two sub-series or subcategories: Vintage/Veteran Touring Events and Rallies, which includes programs from tours and rallies designed to showcase vehicles that were considered antique at the time of the event. Of particular interest in this sub-series are the Glidden Tour revivals (1946 and 1954) and the Royal Automobile Club’s London-Brighton Veteran Car Runs. 4 Contemporary Touring Events and Rallies, which includes programs from tours and rallies that feature vehicles contemporary to the time period of the event. Of special interest in this series are, the 1901 and 1902 100 Mile Endurance Tests run by the Automobile Club of Long Island, and the early twentieth century American Automobile Association Reliability Touring Contests (Glidden Tours). 5 Series 1 Antique Automobile Exhibits and Collector Events Boxes 1-2 The antique automobile exhibits and collector events series contains programs and souvenir programs of events that are limited to a particular type of make of vehicle or to vehicles that were antiques at the time of the event. These primarily feature automobiles or “horseless carriages,” but also occasionally include other modes of transportation, including horse-drawn carriages and bicycles. Of particular interest is the original program from the 1896 International Horse and Horseless Carriage and Roads Locomotion exhibit in Great Britain. This program includes detailed listings and descriptions of the vehicles, photographs, drawings, paintings and other materials on exhibit, as well as information on those loaning them to the exhibit, a number of whom were members of late 19th century British aristocracy. Box 1 1896 International Horse and Horseless Carriage and Roads Locomotion Exhibit 1907 La Section Rétrospective: Exposition Internationale se l’Automobile du Cycle et des Sports, Paris, France 1940 Horseless Carriages on Parade, Framingham Center, MA 1947 Ancient Automobile Show, Carmel, NY 1947 Antique Auto Show, Boston, MA 1948 Antique Auto Show, New York City, NY 1949 Antique Auto Show, Framingham Center, MA 1949 Philadelphia and National Antique Auto Show, Philadelphia, PA 1949 Second Central New York Antique Auto Show, Earlville, NY 1950 Horseless Carriage Club of Indianapolis, Indiana State Fairgrounds, IN 1950 Antique Auto Show, Boston, MA 1953 Antique Auto Show, Toledo, OH 1953 Third Annual Autorama, Hartford, CT 1956 Sixth Annual Autorama, Hartford, CT 1960 Antique Automobile Club of America, Silver Jubilee Meet, Hershey, PA 1960 Fourth Annual Fairfield County Hunt Club Auto Concourse, Westport, CT 1961 Antique Automobile Club Fall Meet, Hershey, PA 1961 Antique Automobile Club Spring Meet, Berea, OH 1961 Fifth Annual Fairfield County Hunt Club Auto Concourse, Westport, CT 1961 Fourth Annual Meet, The Arrow, North Conway, NH 1962 Greater New Jersey Autorama, Teaneck, New Jersey Armory 1964 Antique and Classic Car Parade, Hamilton, OH 1964 First Annual Antique Automobile Fair, Morrilton, AR 6 Box 2 (Antique Automobile Exhibits and Collector Events cont.) 1966 Twelfth Annual Antique Car Festival, Hamilton, OH 1966 Wonderful World of Cars, Casa Colina Rehabilitation