Snapshots of the Past

Automobile owned by Mrs. Charles W. Richardson in driveway with driver at the wheel, Washington, D.C. – Antique Print

Automobile owned by Mrs. Charles W. Richardson in driveway with driver at the wheel, Washington, D.C., [ca. 1919] — historic photograph
Automobile owned by Mrs. Charles W. Richardson in driveway with driver at the wheel, Washington, D.C., [ca. 1919]. Historic photograph from the Automobiles 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 Automobile owned by Mrs. Charles W. Richardson in driveway with driver at the wheel, Washington, D.C., a historic photograph rich in period detail. An authentic image from the Library of Congress, it carries the weight of the real historical record.

The framed print arrives ready to hang; the unframed option suits custom framing. Perfect for a home, office, library or classroom wall, and a gift with a story behind it. Free shipping in the lower 48 states. Since 2001, Snapshots of the Past has shipped historic prints to tens of thousands of customers around the world.

Automobile owned by Mrs. Charles W. Richardson in driveway with driver at the wheel, Washington, D.C.

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A chauffeur sits at the wheel of a car parked in a residential driveway in Washington, D.C., and the plate is a Maryland license, which suggests the owner's household was registered across the state line. The photograph belongs to Frances Benjamin Johnston's work from around 1919, when she documented Washington houses and the people who lived in them. In that period, owning a car and employing a driver marked a family as prosperous, and private motoring was spreading quickly among the well-to-do. The picture offers a clear record of that shift, with the automobile set against the everyday setting of a family home.

Created / published[ca. 1919]
Medium1 photographic print.
GenrePhotographic prints 1910-1920.
SubjectsTitle and other information transcribed from caption card and item. Frances Benjamin Johnston Collection (Library of Congress). Caption card tracings: BI -- Residences; Washington, D.C. -- Residences; Automobiles -- ca. 1919; Shelf. Notes: Mrs. C- Williamson R- (Amy Elizabeth Small). MD License. F191.C72 v.39.
SourceLibrary of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division
Original scan1,536 × 1,258 px · prints to 5 × 4 in at 300 dpi
ReferenceAMZ-SOTP-HPA-132694

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