cars

Washington, D.C., circa 1918. "Childs Restaurant, 1423 Pennsylvania Avenue N.W." Harris & Ewing Collection glass negative.

Horse Dealers Claim Automobiles a Fad

This is a great old article that we dug up in The Washington Post from May 14th, 1900. We see this same ignorance or protectionist tendencies to this day. Look at taxis versus Uber and Lyft, or...
The President's 40-horsepower White Model M steam-powered touring car. March 1909. Photographed on the White House grounds in the early days of the Taft administration. In the back is the State Department, now the Eisenhower Executive Office Building. George Grantham Bain Collection.

U.S. Senate Imposes 50 Percent Tariff on Foreign Cars

No more foreign cars! They’re an abomination and a detriment to our economy … and society at large. Or so said many nearly 110 years ago. No, this wasn’t Trump’s America, it was the land of...

Buick Motor Company in Washington DC

This Buick Motor Company ad from the October 4, 1913 edition of the Washington Times was too good not to post! The Buick Motor Company was located at 1028 Connecticut Ave, NW. It reads: How are you...
1950s car after accident

Help Identify This 1950s Location

We came across these beautiful photographs on Flickr and had to share them with GoDCers. It appears to be an old car getting in need of some repairs after an accident. The vehicle appears to be...
Washington, D.C., 1916. "Post Office Department mail wagon." With a slogan we can all get behind. Harris & Ewing Collection glass negative.

U.S. Mail Truck in 1916

Any idea where this might be? I’m going to guess that we won’t figure it out given the inability to make out the house numbers. Nevertheless, if you’re up for a challenge this weekend, see if...
Driving Spots in the Washington Times - April 10th, 1915

April 10th, 1915: Popular D.C. Driving Spots in 1915

Here’s an interesting page from the Washington Times on April 10th, 1915. It shows a series of photos from popular driving spots in and around Washington.
traffic heading down Route 1 (1940)

I Hate Traffic … in 1940

Here’s an interesting shot of traffic heading up Route 1 towards Maryland. To be honest, this traffic doesn’t look bad at all.
Rock Creek and Potomac Parkway one-way hours (Wikipedia)

When Did Rock Creek Parkway Become One-Way?

If you drive to work downtown and live somewhere up in Northwest D.C., you might be one of the thousands of people who drive down the Rock Creek and Potomac Parkway (the formal name), one of...
November 23, 1938. Washington, D.C. "Ford Motor Co., Union Station." For the 1939 model year, Ford debuted a new brand called Mercury.

Want to Buy a Ford? Go to Union Station

You have to love this old photo from 1938. It shows two cars, a Ford on the left and on the right, a new brand they just launched, Mercury. I also love how the men are...
January 5, 1926. Washington, D.C. "Traffic Director Eldridge inspecting new lights." National Photo Company Collection glass negative.

The Traffic Light Bandit

This might make you think twice about stopping at a red light … well, maybe not. Nevertheless, it’s an amusing read on the terrors of driving in 1927. The article below is from the Washington Post...