The Golden Age of Automobile
by Alina Durkovic
1950s Age of Automobiles
Beginning in the 1950s automobiles revolutionized the lifestyle for the typical American family.[1] Early stages of auto mobility promised “family togetherness” as a major benefit. E.C. Stokes, the governor of New Jersey in 1921, claimed that any device that brings a family together promotes good morals and creates a good influence on American civilization; social unrest would be resolved because automobiles make the best preachers because automobiles bring families together and promote togetherness. It was argued that the automobile got in the way of church-goers, mainly because Sunday drives were preferred over attending services. The family was car was not just transportation but a part of the family; cars were nurtured and cherished just like children were.
Family cars in the 1950s were perfectly polished, waxed and accessorized with fender skirts, and steering wheel spinners. This marked the beginning of care maintenance as a hobby, more for men than women. “Despite critiques concerning the automobile and its design, place, and purpose in American society, this intense love affair with the car was unparalleled.” [2] Sports cars, hot rods and other custom vehicles gave owners individuality and a break from the stress of the Cold War. “The lure of the countryside was accentuated by early advertisements setting new cars against the Westchester landscape. The automobile enabled New Yorkers to traverse more of the country in less time and led to the physical expansion of the suburban ring.”[3] The vehicle gave residents modernity and mobility therefore increasing the commute from work to home. Automobiles drew Americans to the suburbs with the promise of being able to live in the country and enjoy urban amenities.
Home Design
The automobile not only changed family life but it also transformed the architecture of the American middle-class homes. “In contrast to a turn-of-the-century house, the house of 1945 has no hall, no parlor and a mere vestige of a porch, the garage was moved from the back of the lot to the front of the suburban house, and adjacent to the front door.”[4] Before automobiles, the front porch was what functioned as the middle ground between the privacy of the home and the neighborhood. Homes were adding drive-ways and garages by the 1930s. It was because of automobiles that rooms like the “parlor” were removed from house plans since cars made socializing elsewhere easier. The side kitchen door where the driveway met the house became a key entry point in suburban homes, especially seen in 1950s sitcoms. An extension of the street was created when the driveway went straight to the opening into the kitchen; many post-World War II house plans did not even have sidewalks.
Women’s’ Roles
It has been argued that the automobile had a greater impact on women’s lives than men’s. By the 1920s the housewife’s roles were completely different from that of prior generations, they were given more duties that involved driving. Driving requires skill as opposed to physical strength which made it easy for women to drive. In 1912, the self-starter was sometimes referred to as the ladies’ aid. Such things such as vanity mirrors, air conditioning and plush upholstery kept women in mind during production. During the pre-automobile era, groceries were delivered to the home, home sewn-garments were common, and other household chores such as laundry and dish washing were all done in the confines of the home. Automobiles made travel outside the home possible for women thus self-serve supermarkets emerged as well downtown shopping centers.
Eventually by the 1950s, the kitchen lost its hegemony when fast food, limited-menu, self-service restaurants came about. By 1952 companies like McDonalds were selling a million fifteen-cent hamburgers, French fries and a beverage to customers in less than twenty seconds.[5] The idea of fast self-service restaurants boomed and roadside franchises became the norm. Other companies started developing in suburban areas completely transforming what it means to commute to work. Companies started popping up in suburban areas especially near highways which it made it accessible to commuters to work as well as live in the suburbs.
Travel
Prior to the “golden age of automobiles”, extended vacations or travel from the home was something only the wealthy could partake in. Railroad costs were expensive for the average middle-income family plus the cost of a hotel. The automobile “greatly stimulated the whole outdoor movement, making camping possible for many people for whom the woods, mountains, and streams were formerly inaccessible.”[6] Automobile touring was difficult until the 1920s as a result of poor roads; road or highway connections did not exist. From the combination of lobbyists of automobile companies and farmers began to drive the Model T Ford, roads became a system of interconnected highways. This expansion of mobility eventually led to the preservation of scenic and wilderness areas such as national parks. The increase in traffic resulted in a concern of the destruction of parks by cars. “Hysteria in the late 1960s and early 1970s over the alleged destruction of the park by people in automobiles resulted in part from the almost complete absence of a historical perspective on park development and problems.”[7] It had been argued by historians that this pattern of “invasion” in the suburbs was beneficial to recreation and increase in preservation in the long run.
Image & the Automobile
Neighborhoods and homes were symbols of ‘class and income’, while automobiles were ‘status on wheels’. Regardless of what was in one’s bank account, what a person wore and drove showed their social status. “Whether it was true or not, children living in the 1950s believed that what your father drove told everyone in the neighborhood quite a bit about your family.”[8] The top two percentages if income households purchased new cars while lower ends of income purchased used cars. Boys became car spotters, being able to differentiate a Plymouth from a Chevy. Due to safely issues, “pot-metal ornaments” were removed from hoods of automobiles therefore; grills, faces and bumpers were made distinguishable. Automobiles became a sex symbol amongst teenagers in the 1950s and 1960s. This notion influenced American culture greatly by creation of drive-in movie theaters and restaurants, tourist activities and motels. The traditional date held in a parlor or living room was thus moved to a Model T Ford. In 1958, approximately 4,063 drive-in theaters were in the United States in which it became more popular for family outings.
Suburb Development by Means of the Automobile
In a study done by Karen A. Kopecky and Richard M. H. Suen for the International Economic Review in 2010, they found that suburbanization was concurrent with the diffusion of the automobile. “A model of car ownership and location choice is constructed. An agent, in the model, can choose his residential location and decide whether or not to own a car. Under the given specification, it is shown that wealthy agents tend to own a car and live further away from the city center, whereas poor agents tend to travel by bus and stay close to the city center.”[9] Suburbs were planned as an attraction to those residents who were able to afford housing, which included the middle class and upper class. This meant an increase in segregation of higher income families and creating homogenous neighborhoods. Mass transportation extended this movement of people on a higher scale. “White flight” during the 1960s by automobile to the suburbs was mainly due to lower property taxes letting people use that extra money to drive to work. Eventually this led to the opening of gas stations and food businesses outside the city limits. “As early as 1922, some 135,000 suburban homes in 60 cities were already wholly dependent on automobile transportation.”[10] The automobile thus became America’s principal means of transportation, depended on by many residents.
Notes:
[1] Flink, James J. The Automobile Age [Electronic Resource] / James J. Flink. n.p.: Cambridge, Mass. : MIT Press, 1990, c1988., 1990. Fordham Libraries Catalog. Web. 14 Oct. 2012
[2] Heitmann, John Alfred. The Automobile And American Life / John A. Heitmann. n.p.: Jefferson, N.C. : McFarland & Co., c2009., 2009. Harvard Library Bibliographic Dataset. Web. 14 Oct. 2012.
[3] Panetta, Roger. Westchester, the American Suburb. Fordham University Press 2006
[4] Flink, James J. The Automobile Age [Electronic Resource] / James J. Flink. n.p.: Cambridge, Mass. : MIT Press, 1990, c1988., 1990. Fordham Libraries Catalog. Web. 14 Oct. 2012
[5] Flink, James J. The Automobile Age [Electronic Resource] / James J. Flink. n.p.: Cambridge, Mass. : MIT Press, 1990, c1988., 1990. Fordham Libraries Catalog. Web. 14 Oct. 2012
[6] Dulle, Foster Rhea. History of American Recreation
[7] Flink, James J. The Automobile Age [Electronic Resource] / James J. Flink. n.p.: Cambridge, Mass. : MIT Press, 1990, c1988., 1990. Fordham Libraries Catalog. Web. 14 Oct. 2012
[8] Heitmann, John Alfred. The Automobile And American Life / John A. Heitmann. n.p.: Jefferson, N.C. : McFarland & Co., c2009., 2009. Harvard Library Bibliographic Dataset. Web. 14 Oct. 2012.
[9] Kopecky, Karen A., and Richard M. H. Suen. "A QUANTITATIVE ANALYSIS OF SUBURBANIZATION AND THE DIFFUSION OF THE AUTOMOBILE." International Economic Review 51, no. 4 (November 2010): 1003-1037. Business Source Complete, EBSCOhost(accessed November 19, 2012).
[10] Flint, Jerry. The Dream Machine : The Golden Age Of American Automobiles, 1946-1965 / By Jerry Flint. n.p.: New York : Quadrangle/New York Times Book Co., c1976., 1976. Harvard Library Bibliographic Dataset. Web. 14 Oct. 2012.
Photo Credit: baltimorphosis.com
1950s Age of Automobiles
Beginning in the 1950s automobiles revolutionized the lifestyle for the typical American family.[1] Early stages of auto mobility promised “family togetherness” as a major benefit. E.C. Stokes, the governor of New Jersey in 1921, claimed that any device that brings a family together promotes good morals and creates a good influence on American civilization; social unrest would be resolved because automobiles make the best preachers because automobiles bring families together and promote togetherness. It was argued that the automobile got in the way of church-goers, mainly because Sunday drives were preferred over attending services. The family was car was not just transportation but a part of the family; cars were nurtured and cherished just like children were.
Family cars in the 1950s were perfectly polished, waxed and accessorized with fender skirts, and steering wheel spinners. This marked the beginning of care maintenance as a hobby, more for men than women. “Despite critiques concerning the automobile and its design, place, and purpose in American society, this intense love affair with the car was unparalleled.” [2] Sports cars, hot rods and other custom vehicles gave owners individuality and a break from the stress of the Cold War. “The lure of the countryside was accentuated by early advertisements setting new cars against the Westchester landscape. The automobile enabled New Yorkers to traverse more of the country in less time and led to the physical expansion of the suburban ring.”[3] The vehicle gave residents modernity and mobility therefore increasing the commute from work to home. Automobiles drew Americans to the suburbs with the promise of being able to live in the country and enjoy urban amenities.
Home Design
The automobile not only changed family life but it also transformed the architecture of the American middle-class homes. “In contrast to a turn-of-the-century house, the house of 1945 has no hall, no parlor and a mere vestige of a porch, the garage was moved from the back of the lot to the front of the suburban house, and adjacent to the front door.”[4] Before automobiles, the front porch was what functioned as the middle ground between the privacy of the home and the neighborhood. Homes were adding drive-ways and garages by the 1930s. It was because of automobiles that rooms like the “parlor” were removed from house plans since cars made socializing elsewhere easier. The side kitchen door where the driveway met the house became a key entry point in suburban homes, especially seen in 1950s sitcoms. An extension of the street was created when the driveway went straight to the opening into the kitchen; many post-World War II house plans did not even have sidewalks.
Women’s’ Roles
It has been argued that the automobile had a greater impact on women’s lives than men’s. By the 1920s the housewife’s roles were completely different from that of prior generations, they were given more duties that involved driving. Driving requires skill as opposed to physical strength which made it easy for women to drive. In 1912, the self-starter was sometimes referred to as the ladies’ aid. Such things such as vanity mirrors, air conditioning and plush upholstery kept women in mind during production. During the pre-automobile era, groceries were delivered to the home, home sewn-garments were common, and other household chores such as laundry and dish washing were all done in the confines of the home. Automobiles made travel outside the home possible for women thus self-serve supermarkets emerged as well downtown shopping centers.
Eventually by the 1950s, the kitchen lost its hegemony when fast food, limited-menu, self-service restaurants came about. By 1952 companies like McDonalds were selling a million fifteen-cent hamburgers, French fries and a beverage to customers in less than twenty seconds.[5] The idea of fast self-service restaurants boomed and roadside franchises became the norm. Other companies started developing in suburban areas completely transforming what it means to commute to work. Companies started popping up in suburban areas especially near highways which it made it accessible to commuters to work as well as live in the suburbs.
Travel
Prior to the “golden age of automobiles”, extended vacations or travel from the home was something only the wealthy could partake in. Railroad costs were expensive for the average middle-income family plus the cost of a hotel. The automobile “greatly stimulated the whole outdoor movement, making camping possible for many people for whom the woods, mountains, and streams were formerly inaccessible.”[6] Automobile touring was difficult until the 1920s as a result of poor roads; road or highway connections did not exist. From the combination of lobbyists of automobile companies and farmers began to drive the Model T Ford, roads became a system of interconnected highways. This expansion of mobility eventually led to the preservation of scenic and wilderness areas such as national parks. The increase in traffic resulted in a concern of the destruction of parks by cars. “Hysteria in the late 1960s and early 1970s over the alleged destruction of the park by people in automobiles resulted in part from the almost complete absence of a historical perspective on park development and problems.”[7] It had been argued by historians that this pattern of “invasion” in the suburbs was beneficial to recreation and increase in preservation in the long run.
Image & the Automobile
Neighborhoods and homes were symbols of ‘class and income’, while automobiles were ‘status on wheels’. Regardless of what was in one’s bank account, what a person wore and drove showed their social status. “Whether it was true or not, children living in the 1950s believed that what your father drove told everyone in the neighborhood quite a bit about your family.”[8] The top two percentages if income households purchased new cars while lower ends of income purchased used cars. Boys became car spotters, being able to differentiate a Plymouth from a Chevy. Due to safely issues, “pot-metal ornaments” were removed from hoods of automobiles therefore; grills, faces and bumpers were made distinguishable. Automobiles became a sex symbol amongst teenagers in the 1950s and 1960s. This notion influenced American culture greatly by creation of drive-in movie theaters and restaurants, tourist activities and motels. The traditional date held in a parlor or living room was thus moved to a Model T Ford. In 1958, approximately 4,063 drive-in theaters were in the United States in which it became more popular for family outings.
Suburb Development by Means of the Automobile
In a study done by Karen A. Kopecky and Richard M. H. Suen for the International Economic Review in 2010, they found that suburbanization was concurrent with the diffusion of the automobile. “A model of car ownership and location choice is constructed. An agent, in the model, can choose his residential location and decide whether or not to own a car. Under the given specification, it is shown that wealthy agents tend to own a car and live further away from the city center, whereas poor agents tend to travel by bus and stay close to the city center.”[9] Suburbs were planned as an attraction to those residents who were able to afford housing, which included the middle class and upper class. This meant an increase in segregation of higher income families and creating homogenous neighborhoods. Mass transportation extended this movement of people on a higher scale. “White flight” during the 1960s by automobile to the suburbs was mainly due to lower property taxes letting people use that extra money to drive to work. Eventually this led to the opening of gas stations and food businesses outside the city limits. “As early as 1922, some 135,000 suburban homes in 60 cities were already wholly dependent on automobile transportation.”[10] The automobile thus became America’s principal means of transportation, depended on by many residents.
Notes:
[1] Flink, James J. The Automobile Age [Electronic Resource] / James J. Flink. n.p.: Cambridge, Mass. : MIT Press, 1990, c1988., 1990. Fordham Libraries Catalog. Web. 14 Oct. 2012
[2] Heitmann, John Alfred. The Automobile And American Life / John A. Heitmann. n.p.: Jefferson, N.C. : McFarland & Co., c2009., 2009. Harvard Library Bibliographic Dataset. Web. 14 Oct. 2012.
[3] Panetta, Roger. Westchester, the American Suburb. Fordham University Press 2006
[4] Flink, James J. The Automobile Age [Electronic Resource] / James J. Flink. n.p.: Cambridge, Mass. : MIT Press, 1990, c1988., 1990. Fordham Libraries Catalog. Web. 14 Oct. 2012
[5] Flink, James J. The Automobile Age [Electronic Resource] / James J. Flink. n.p.: Cambridge, Mass. : MIT Press, 1990, c1988., 1990. Fordham Libraries Catalog. Web. 14 Oct. 2012
[6] Dulle, Foster Rhea. History of American Recreation
[7] Flink, James J. The Automobile Age [Electronic Resource] / James J. Flink. n.p.: Cambridge, Mass. : MIT Press, 1990, c1988., 1990. Fordham Libraries Catalog. Web. 14 Oct. 2012
[8] Heitmann, John Alfred. The Automobile And American Life / John A. Heitmann. n.p.: Jefferson, N.C. : McFarland & Co., c2009., 2009. Harvard Library Bibliographic Dataset. Web. 14 Oct. 2012.
[9] Kopecky, Karen A., and Richard M. H. Suen. "A QUANTITATIVE ANALYSIS OF SUBURBANIZATION AND THE DIFFUSION OF THE AUTOMOBILE." International Economic Review 51, no. 4 (November 2010): 1003-1037. Business Source Complete, EBSCOhost(accessed November 19, 2012).
[10] Flint, Jerry. The Dream Machine : The Golden Age Of American Automobiles, 1946-1965 / By Jerry Flint. n.p.: New York : Quadrangle/New York Times Book Co., c1976., 1976. Harvard Library Bibliographic Dataset. Web. 14 Oct. 2012.
Photo Credit: baltimorphosis.com