Text by Patrick Bell.
Today we are going to look at some families with their cars. I am sure we all have been involved in this type of photo, some of us like it and some of us don’t. That is obvious in many of the images. So enjoy the people watching as well as the cars and other items of interest. Previous entries on this series can be found HERE and HERE.
The first one looks like a large family, four boys and two girls. The ’55 Ford Country Squire they are posing with already looks loaded and is towing a trailer to boot. I wonder if all these people were traveling together. The young man on the far left looks quite contemporary as it appears he is looking at his phone. I think he is one that doesn’t like posing for photos, especially with the whole family. The Ford has a V8 and what looks like a Massachusetts license plate. On the other side of it is a ’56 Oldsmobile and in the background a ’54-’56 Dodge Job-Rated stake bed.
In this shot it looks like the men may be related. The one on the far left is holding what could be a home movie camera. In the driveway is a new looking ’50-’52 Nash Rambler dressed out with a sun visor, spotlight, hood ornament, and eyebrow type headlamp trim. And we don’t want to leave out the flamingo along the lower edge.
Here we have a pleasant looking group on a special event day of some sort. On the left is a ’55 Buick Super 2 door Riviera and to the right a close to new ’57 Pontiac Star Chief Custom four door Catalina with a Washington license plate registered in King County where the seat is Seattle.
It must be a cold day as these folks do not look like they are enjoying themselves in this photo taken in Canada. It looks like Sunday dress, perhaps Easter Sunday. Behind them is a ’55 Buick Special 2 door Riviera.
This is a fine looking young family where the children are spitting images of their parents. They may be visiting the grandparents. They are posing by a ’55 Mercury Monterey wagon with a ’42 or ’46 Chevrolet in front of it with a plate I do not recognize.
A rapidly expanding family with a ’58 Chevrolet Bel Air Impala Sport Coupe behind them. This was the first year for the Impala. With the narrow whitewalls I would say this is an early to mid-sixties photo.
In this inverted photo it appears like we have parents with their grown children and the other family members relegated to the background. It may be an early spring shot at a lakefront location. They are standing behind a ’61 Rambler Classic Deluxe 4 door sedan. Behind the head of the lady in purple may be a ’60-’62 Ford Falcon 2 door sedan, and a six cylinder ’58 Chevrolet Bel Air 4 door sedan is over on the edge with a license plate I cannot make out.
Here we may have a father, daughter, and granddaughter with her dolly. They are posing by a ’64 Ford Galaxie 500 2 door hardtop.
Another rapidly expanding family with at least four kids and one in the oven. I am not sure how the one on the far left fits in, perhaps the man’s sister. They appear to be in a warm locale going by the windows in the house in the background. They are standing by a ’63-’67 Volkswagen Type 2, a good family vehicle that works well as long as you aren’t in a hurry. It has a decal on the front bumper that may be a military base permit. In the background is a ’55 Chevrolet Bel Air 4 door sedan.
This one looks like two sisters and a mother, with father in the background and boyfriend or son-in-law in the driver’s seat. They are all over a ’72 Plymouth Satellite Sebring Coupe that appears to have a set of heavy duty bumper guards on the front loop bumper.
Thanks for joining us and have a great day!
Great post as usual. It’s interesting how the cars seem almost as big as the houses. In today’s quest for Mega Mansions, we have only small cars and BLOATED SUVS. Times HAVE changed!
Nice contrast between the fanciest of all Ramblers and the plainest of all Ramblers.
I was wondering how Patrick was sure that the plain Rambler pic is inverted. Rambler and Chevy had RHD versions. Then I noticed the zippers. Patrick doesn’t miss any details!
I do remember seeing entire families, sometimes filling the family car. Usually for social events, but it was not uncommon. Including older teens, and young adults. I remember joining other families as a teen, going to movies, or dinner, etc. With large transmission tunnels, smokers, different age groups, it often was a cramped compromise. I doubt many children, or adults, would want to experience today. lol
That first picture shows a family that fills a three seat wagon, with the trailer for luggage. We had an enclosed rooftop carrier on our wagon.
My best friends in the sixties had ’64 Olds Vista Cruiser that their mom drove like a maniac. Once I went with them to the carnival, where they had rides like The Hammer and the Tilt-A-Whirl.
I was car-sick before we even got there, and dreading the ride home.
I like all of these .
The VW Kombi is neat, I’ve owned several .
-Nate
Photo #9: VW Bus
That looks like a New Orleans shotgun house in the background. Also, has a military sticker on the front bumper. These were to grant access to the base with minimal disruption for entrance to the base.
The woman on the left looks like she is wearing a CND logo on her chain (Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament) I wonder what she is doing with a VW allowed access to a military base?
And at least two of the three boys are plotting something.
I get the impression that the VW was owned by the gentleman on the right considering the number of kids. There was a military base in the Ninth Ward of New Orleans back then.
I also get the impression that the family was visiting the lady with the peace symbol. Just a few years later, it would have been my older bother wear the p
Maybe someone can give us guidance on the military base sticker (civilian, enlisted, etc).
That last shot of the Plymouth (with everyone in matching blue pants) reminds me of the Cowsills.
A bit too old though.
Thanks, Patrick! Genuine Americana and your wonderful comments.