Dwight Lowell Campbell and Hattie Evelyn Rader
were sweethearts in Foard County, TX.
Hattie lived with her family on a farm
near the town of Crowell, where Dwight lived.
This photograph was taken before they were married
in the summer of 1923.
If you love early automobiles like Model T Fords, this is a fun photo to explore.
Did you notice how the windshield is hinged with the top lying down? This provided ventilation when the roof was on. But more importantly, when mud or even rain (there are no wipers on this windshield) obscured the view, a driver could tip down the top portion to see better.
Of course the driver and passenger might get wet or splashed with mud, but one could see. Goggles, of course, were also handy in such situations.
Hanging from the driver's door are two spare tires. There were a great many hazards along the dirt roads; horseshoe nails were among the most common. Most people still traveled by horseback or horse-drawn vehicle. By the time of this model, two spare tires were hung on the driver's door.
Although the photograph is damaged on the upper right, we can still see two parts of the soft-top roof. Above the windshield we can see one section, including a lever on the passenger side that fastens the roof onto the windshield. The other section we can see is toward the back of the driver's door; this was probably a 2-seater vehicle.
When Dwight and Hattie wanted to drive in the open, the roof was lowered by fanning back the soft top and metal hinges to rest on the rear of the auto where they were securely fastened.
How did you start the auto? With a hand crank located on the front fender. It was quite a process, one that brought great pleasure or consternation. My favorite description is by E. B. White, beloved author of the children's book Charlotte's Web.
The trick was to leave the ignition switch off, proceed to the animal’s head, pull the choke (which was a little wire protruding through the radiator), and give the crank two or three nonchalant upward lifts. Then, whistling as though thinking about something else, you would saunter back to the driver’s cabin, turn the ignition on, return to the crank, and this time, catching it on the down stroke, give it a quick spin with plenty of That. If this procedure was followed, the engine almost always responded—first with a few scattered explosions, then with a tumultuous gunfire, which you checked by racing around to the driver’s seat and retarding the throttle. Often, if the emergency brake hadn’t been pulled all the way back, the car advanced on you the instant the first explosion occurred and you would hold it back by leaning your weight against it. I can still feel my old Ford nuzzling me at the curb, as though looking for an apple in my pocket.
There is one important tip E. B. White doesn't mention. You might proceed through the first several steps with either your right or left hand. But when it came time to start the engine with a full spin of the crank, one best remember to use the left arm; when the engine backfired and the lever swung backwards one's right arm was easily broken. You can see how to properly start and operate a Model T on this video. Mitch Taylor will fascinate you, whether a rookie or expert, as he shows us the engine, gears, and all sorts of particulars.
And what about the engine? 4 Cylinders. Top Speed? Almost 45 mph. Gears? There were three; reverse was the most powerful. That's why a Model T was often seen driving uphill -- backwards. This side view of a Model T was drawn in 1916 for The Model T Ford car, its construction, operation and repair.
Back to our photograph. Ford added louvers to hoods in 1915, and in 1917 a curved hood replaced the flat topped five-sized design. If you look below the louvers in our family photo, you can see how the base of the hood is hinged; it opened side to side. And until 1923 the hood flowed smoothly into the cowl panel below the windshield, as in our photo. All of this helps date the automobile: between 1917 and 1923.
And What color? Black. Early Model Ts were gray, green, blue, or red. But after 1914, "Any customer can have a car painted any color he wants, so long as it is black," Henry Ford said. Black paint was durable, inexpensive, and dried faster than other colors. This was just one of the factors that lowered prices from $850 in 1908 to a very affordable $260 by 1925.
In all, over 15 million Model Ts were sold. About half were similar to the one in our family photo and sold between 1917 and 1923. During those years the basic design contributed to their mass production. (It wasn't until the early 1970s that another make of automobile was so popular. Can you guess what it was? The Volkswagen Beetle.) But don't expect those Model T Fords to look alike. There were a wide variety of body styles.
Also, there was the Sears Roebuck catalogue, in which there were more pages for Ford auto parts and accessories than pages for men's clothing. An auto parts pamphlet inserted into the 1919 Sears Roebuck Catalogue includes over half a dozen pages just for Ford.
One could purchase practical items such as a rear-view mirror or windshield wipers. But speedometers, hood ornaments, and rear reflectors prized for their red glow were far more popular, as well as all kinds of headlights, spot lights, and dash lamps.
There was also a combination cap and gauge for the gasoline tank. For years the tank was located under the driver's seat; to refuel everyone had to disembark while the seat was lifted, the cap unscrewed, and tank refilled.
Some purchased a foot accelerator, but the original hand-throttle accelerator, about the size of a pencil and placed to the right of the steering wheel, was preferable. So was a large horn with a resounding blast--rather than a small one with a discreet sound.
Without a doubt, people were enjoying their Model T Fords.
Thanks for visiting! See you next time.
Ginny
© 2017 Copyright by Ginny Bettendorf, All Rights Reserved
In all, over 15 million Model Ts were sold. About half were similar to the one in our family photo and sold between 1917 and 1923. During those years the basic design contributed to their mass production. (It wasn't until the early 1970s that another make of automobile was so popular. Can you guess what it was? The Volkswagen Beetle.) But don't expect those Model T Fords to look alike. There were a wide variety of body styles.
Also, there was the Sears Roebuck catalogue, in which there were more pages for Ford auto parts and accessories than pages for men's clothing. An auto parts pamphlet inserted into the 1919 Sears Roebuck Catalogue includes over half a dozen pages just for Ford.One could purchase practical items such as a rear-view mirror or windshield wipers. But speedometers, hood ornaments, and rear reflectors prized for their red glow were far more popular, as well as all kinds of headlights, spot lights, and dash lamps.
There was also a combination cap and gauge for the gasoline tank. For years the tank was located under the driver's seat; to refuel everyone had to disembark while the seat was lifted, the cap unscrewed, and tank refilled.
Some purchased a foot accelerator, but the original hand-throttle accelerator, about the size of a pencil and placed to the right of the steering wheel, was preferable. So was a large horn with a resounding blast--rather than a small one with a discreet sound.
Without a doubt, people were enjoying their Model T Fords.
Thanks for visiting! See you next time.
Ginny
© 2017 Copyright by Ginny Bettendorf, All Rights Reserved
