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Caught Our Eyes: It’s Electric!

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I am the first to admit that my knowledge of cars is rather limited. And perhaps like me, you thought electric cars were a relatively new phenomenon. Imagine my surprise when I stumbled across the 1919 photograph below of a car being charged!

Electric auto at re-charging station. Photo by Cress-Dale Photo Co., 1919 Aug 25. hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/cph.3b16781
Electric auto at re-charging station. Photo by Cress-Dale Photo Co., 1919 Aug 25. hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/cph.3b16781

Much to my astonishment, the first practical electric car was invented in London by Thomas Parker in 1884.  Electric cars made an appearance in America around the turn of the 20th century. The 1906 photograph below shows an early electric car making its way down the streets of Washington D.C.

White House, Washington. Photo, 1906. hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/cph.3c17991
White House, Washington. Photo, 1906. hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/cph.3c17991

The plugged-in car featured in the photo which initially caught my eye was a Detroit Electric, a vehicle produced by the Anderson Electric Car Company from 1907 to 1939. The photo is part of a group of promotional images showing the auto on a trip from Seattle to Mount Rainier. Other photographs from the group show the car wending its way through the mountains of Washington.

Detroit Electric auto on promotional tour through mountains from Seattle to Mt. Rainier. Photo by Cress-Dale Photo Co., 1919. hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/ds.08198
Detroit Electric auto on promotional tour through mountains from Seattle to Mt. Rainier. Photo by Cress-Dale Photo Co., 1919. hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/ds.08198
"Detroit Electric" auto on promotional tour through mountains from "Seattle to Mt. Rainier": Man standing in front of auto, which is parked on mountain road. Photo by Cress-Dale Photo Co., 1919. hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/cph.3b17509
“Detroit Electric” auto on promotional tour through mountains from “Seattle to Mt. Rainier”: Man standing in front of auto, which is parked on mountain road. Photo by Cress-Dale Photo Co., 1919. hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/cph.3b17509

The short mileage range of early electric cars limited its use in rural areas but it was ideal for town or city travelers. As you can see from the 1917 Washington Herald advertisement below, the Detroit Electric could make it between 80 to 100 miles on a single charge with a top speed of about 27 mph.

The Washington herald. (Washington, D.C.), 19 Aug. 1917. Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers. Lib. of Congress.
The Washington herald. (Washington, D.C.), 19 Aug. 1917. Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers. Lib. of Congress. http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn83045433/1917-08-19/ed-1/seq-16/

Electric cars were also marketed toward women due to the fact that starting the vehicle did not require the physical task of hand cranking an internal combustion engine. I found this photograph of future First Lady Edith Wilson, the first woman to drive an electric automobile in Washington D.C., to be a fascinating glimpse into the era of early cars.

Edith Wilson in the first electric automobile driven by a woman in Washington, D.C. Photo, 1904. hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/cph.3c39014
Edith Bolling Galt in the first electric automobile driven by a woman in Washington, D.C. Photo, 1904. hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/cph.3c39014

By the early 1900s, around 38 percent of American cars were electric. However, for a number of reasons, the sale of electric cars began to decline in the 1920s and production of such vehicles eventually stopped. I suppose the resurgence of electric cars in recent years demonstrates the old saying that history does indeed repeat itself!

Finish of 1st Am[erican] auto race at Springfield, L.I. - A.L. Riker in electric, winner. Photo by James H. Hare, 1900. hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/ppmsca.19358
Finish of 1st Am[erican] auto race at Springfield, L.I. – A.L. Riker in electric, winner. Photo by James H. Hare, 1900. hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/ppmsca.19358
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Comments

  1. What’s old becomes new again.

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