There aren’t many shots in this series, but I truly enjoyed them. Admittedly, other than the lead one, not the greatest pictures ever. They’re blurry, off-center, and some participants are caught off guard. But wasn’t that part of the fun with film photography? To wait days and get a few good shots with various useless ones. And yet, among those unusable ones, a few that captured life just as it was.
But we’re not here solely for nicely lit and framed photos. Rather, everything automotive. And these images are a good reflection of what the Oldsmobile brand once meant. After all, there’s lots of joy and pride being displayed around this ’54 Olds. The images were clearly taken on a special occasion, with the Ninety-Eight Holiday taking center stage.
Further reading:
Curbside Classic/Driving Impressions: 1951 Oldsmobile Super 88 – Rocketing Back In Time
Car Show Classic: 1957 Oldsmobile Super 88 – Pressed In A Book
These Oldsmobiles were awesome. I like photographs from the time we couldn’t Photoshop or keep taking photos until we get a “perfect” shot.
I love the wide whitewall tires .
Snappy looking cars .
-Nate
Nice car and joyful people for sure.
Except for the lad, he is thinking about how to get himself out of those repurposed adult pants.
Too bad there’s no back story on the family.
I can probably guess that when this picture was shown around the family the poor woman on the left, with her backside facing the camera, had a thing or two to say. Posterior in perpetuity.
Pictures make me think of Laurence & his family. Hope he is doing well, I do miss his writing.
I remember being in Junior’s position. In the 50s boys were expected to look like miniature businessmen when they’d rather be out playing ball. Junior is making the best of the situation.
He’s wearing a belt and suspenders. Not taking any chances.
The “shiny, tutone, Olds” has no outside mirror..Everyone dripping “style” in these pics.
Outside mirrors (actually driver side only) weren’t required until the initial federal safety standards became effective as of Jan. 1, 1968. Domestic automakers made them standard as of the 1966 model year.
I remember our next door neighbor’s1964 Plymouth Belvedere without outside mirrors.
“1968”? That’s actually amazing! I recall a my dad talking about a co workers (I believe) car , not having a door mirror. I’d a been maybe “8” at the time. I know he referred to it as an “old thing”.
I love these! All are ’55 Oldsmobiles.
Is the same car shown in photos 2 and 3?
These are all 1954 Oldsmobiles. My dad owned a 54 Super 88.
Yes, you’re right. Often I have to see the 1954 and ’55s together to tell them apart. The 1956 is more distinctive with the big oval grille.
’55s had frenched headlights and a sideways checkmark chrome strip on the side; ’54s had non-frenched headlights and a ‘shoe toe’ chrome strip.
My grandparents had a ’56 4-door 88 sedan when I was a young boy. On visits and when it was parked, I loved to get inside behind the steering wheel and ‘play-drive’. I loved its dashboard with its twin ashtrays ‘secretly’ camouflaged within the decorative horizontal strip with its chrome vertical lines, if I remember correctly they opened by pushing the strips inward where the ashtrays were positioned. The back of the steering wheel had bumpier finger dividers than our family’s Pontiac wagon had which impressed me. At the center of the steering wheel horn ring was a look into outer space with planets and stars. Looking forward through the windshield and centered over the hood was its hood ornament, a chrome winged rocket shooting forward with exhaust trails molded into the hood trailing behind the ‘engines’ on the ends of the wings.
Good memories.
EDIT- 55s have the shoe, 54s the checkmark.
If they were going to church, the ladies would have hats.
My dad bought a ’54 Olds not 98 the year before he got married, so no family–that we know of. Replaced by a ’57 Fiesta soon after his first child. That car crossed the country twice and lost its differential fluid on a 200 mile trip.
Were Oldsmobiles of this era particularly popular with African-Americans, or am I generalizing from a few photos? In the lead photo, I’d love to know what the various people’s relationships to each other were.
That’s an excellent question. Private cars for African Americans in the pre-civil rights era and even afterwards, represent a means of independence, opportunity and mobility. It was a means to avoid the indignities of segregation on public transport, for example.
That said, there were considerations that Black motorists had to take into consideration given the circumstances. It had to be comfortable and roomy – such as have enough cargo space for luggage, food, cushions, etc. – given that lodging and accommodations weren’t always going to be available for them. A car also had to be pretty reliable in service – because being broken down in the wrong place at the wrong time could be not only be inconvenient, but dangerous. And it was desirable to have strong road performance, should one need to escape or get away from threatening situations.
Oldsmobile was certainly one of the popular models for Black carowners- the comfort, size and Rocket V8 were pluses. Malcolm X was known to drive Oldsmobiles.
A good resource about African Americans and automobile travel is “Driving While Black”, by Gretchen Sorin.
Thank you silverkris.
There seems to be a documentary based on Gretchen Sorin’s work that’s available on PBS.
https://www.pbs.org/video/driving-while-black-race-space-and-mobility-in-america-achvfr/
Yet another example of how something like automobiles and mobility is (are?) in fact windows into aspects of our American culture that transcend the obvious.
I also highly recommend Driving the Green Book: A Road Trip Through the Living History of Black Resistance by Alvin Hall. The author addresses this issue and many related ones.
I’ve always wanted to get a look at that book. Saw a “PBS” show about it.
Thank you for the reference to Alvin Hall’s book. It’s pretty new – I’ll look into it.
Top photo – I’ll bet that the lady in the blue dress regretted taking that moment to peer into the new car while the photographer caught her backside. Or if she was the photographer’s wife or daughter, perhaps the photographer was the one who regretted it. 🙂
It is funny to be old enough to remember a time when people aspired to Oldsmobiles, and were really proud of one when they bought it.
Right–the defensive “not your father’s Oldsmobile” slogan came decades later.
The ladies in that first picture look adorable. AS for the husband and wife (or girlfriend?) with the Holiday Sport Coupe, what a proud moment. We cherished our cars in those days.
Lovely photo. A big bad Olds!
Wonderful candids. And I have long loved Oldsmobile’s “Holiday” designation.