Snapshots of the Past

[Woman ceremoniously painting decoration on French Gratitude Train which toured U.S. in 1948-49; side of boxcar is decorated with French Provincial Crests] – Historic Print

[Woman ceremoniously painting decoration on French Gratitude Train which toured U.S. in 1948-49; side of boxcar is decorated with French Provincial Crests], [ca. 1948] — historic photograph
[Woman ceremoniously painting decoration on French Gratitude Train which toured U.S. in 1948-49; side of boxcar is decorated with French Provincial Crests], [ca. 1948]. Historic photograph from the Historic Print Archive collection.

(Originally scanned by the Library of Congress. Each image is professionally and digitally cleaned of artifacts such as color bars and extra borders prior to printing.)

Description

Step back in time with [Woman ceremoniously painting decoration on French Gratitude Train which toured U.S. in 1948-49; side of boxcar is decorated with French Provincial Crests], a historic photograph rich in period detail. The original is held by the Library of Congress, so what you hang is a true record of its time.

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[Woman ceremoniously painting decoration on French Gratitude Train which toured U.S. in 1948-49; side of boxcar is decorated with French Provincial Crests]

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The woman in this photograph is applying a painted decoration to a boxcar of the French Gratitude Train, a gift from the people of France to the United States in thanks for American aid after World War II. The car's side is marked with the crests of French provinces, a reference to the regional identities that the train's gifts were meant to honor. The cars were of the wartime "40 and 8" type, once used to carry troops and supplies, so the train was a deliberate reversal of that history. Its tour of American towns in 1948 and 1949 drew large crowds and brought gifts from France to each state.

Created / published[ca. 1948]
Medium1 photographic print.
SubjectsThis record contains unverified, old data from caption card. Caption card tracings: WWII--France; Foreign relations--French-Am.; Shelf.
SourceLibrary of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division
Original scan1,536 × 1,129 px · prints to 5 × 4 in at 300 dpi
ReferenceAMZ-SOTP-HPA-132070

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