(This post was originally published on January 23, 2011 here.)
UPDATE - We still have no identification on the type of car this is so if you have any guesses, please let me know!
Hmmm, that might not have sounded quite right. I'm seeking a date genealogically speaking. I'm at a loss in trying to identify the car in the photo. No, it's not critical to my research. Call it a burning desire. So if you can help at all I'd be forever grateful! You'll be a legend in my family history! People will name their children after you! OK, maybe that one was a bit of an exaggeration...
So what do I know about the picture and the lady behind the wheel...
-Her name is Alice Veronica Barrett. She is one of two daughters born to Patrick and Bridget Barrett nee Farley
-Alice was born on 06MAY1887 in Hazleton, PA
-The car was most likely purchased in NY, NJ, or PA since those are the possible matches I have for where Alice lived.
-I would assume that the picture was taken sometime around the time she purchased it, being proud of a purchase that not everyone had.
I originally thought that this was a Ford Model-T and posted the picture on Facebook requesting help from people that may know more about cars than I do (and that's pretty much everyone). A friend of mine said that he too thought that it was a Model-T and dated it to 1927. While I love my buddy for trying to help, the date and model don't necessarily sit right with me (although that doesn't make him wrong...it could just mean that I'm being difficult...it's part of my charm). The biggest being that the tires weren't typical of the 1927 Model-T. "Spokes" (for lack of a better term) were thinner and there were more of them in the pictures of the 1927 models I've seen.
So these are the aspects of the picture that I've been trying to match up with a specific make and model of car:
-The above mentioned tires.
-The "nose" of the car is relatively long, indicating that the motor was up front which was not always the case with early cars.
-The "vents" on the nose of the car are at an angle and there are several of them.
-The spare tire is on the back of the car and vertical (some spares were canted at a slight angle when on the back)
-It's a soft/rag-top. From what I've read, fewer of these models were made as time went on and cars became more enclosed.
-The doors do not have a panel in between them. If you check pictures of cars from this era you'll notice that very few cars have doors that are right next to each other. There is a small panel in between the front and rear doors and the doors themselves are relatively small. These are good full-size doors.
-Then I've got to take a look at the clothes that the ladies are wearing. I'm rubbish at dating fashions as well, but I'm working on improving in that area. From my novice experience. I would say that the hemlines are most likely too low for 1927 although I'm sure not everyone wore flapper-style dresses, I would still imagine that the overall hemline would be higher and the waistline lower than what is pictured here.
My best guess for the time period (and it is just a guess) would be sometime around 1917-1923. That's mostly based on the tires of the car and my guess at the clothing, but I could be WAY off on that!
If you've got mad-skills or even just a guess on the time period based on the clothing or on the make and model of the car, I'd be forever grateful!
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