Picnics and Roadside Snacks In Vintage Photos – 1950s & 1960s

Text by Patrick Bell.

The itch to get away is going to need scratching soon, so it is time to start thinking about some of the mundane aspects of it, like what to eat.  Today we have a gallery showing a variety of activities that include eating on the road, vintage style.

The lead image proves the old adage that there is one in every crowd.  The youngest member of possibly 4 generations of a family was hamming it up for the photographer.  They were winding up a meal at a roadside picnic spot.  I can’t tell what was on the menu, but there was plenty of it.
On the left was a 1964 Ford Country Squire, Ford’s top of the line wagon with the standard hub caps and whitewalls.  Part of another car can be seen on the other side, but not enough to ID.

Here were a couple of couples and their children enjoying some liquid refreshment on a cool day at a northern beach.  On the left was a well used 1954 Mercury Monterey 4 door sedan with a snow tire on the rear.  To the right was a mildly customized 1950 Ford Custom Deluxe Tudor sedan.  You can see the deck lid had been shaved and the license plate moved to the bumper.  It also had a sun visor, and a spinner/necker/suicide knob on the steering wheel.

At least five people were enjoying a meal mostly in the shade at a roadside picnic park.  Their two tone 1953 Oldsmobile Ninety-Eight 4 door sedan did not get a shady spot, but it was taking a rest anyway.  The Ninety-Eight was the top of the line series of three, and the 4 door sedan was second best seller for the year.

A group of gals were taking a lunch break.  The lady in grey looked like the leader, so perhaps they were on a field trip.  On the left was a 1956 Buick Special 2 door Riviera hardtop with baby moon hub caps, and on the right was a V8 powered 1955 Ford Customline.

Two groups of people were dining at this roadside picnic area.  In the foreground was a 1953 Oldsmobile DeLuxe 88 or Super 88 4 door sedan.  And in the background was a 1953 or 1954 Chevrolet Bel Air 4 door sedan.

A small family was enjoying the warm day and a lunch break with a 1955 Plymouth Belvedere 4 door sedan close by.  The Plymouth was all new this year and the Hy-Fire V8 was available for the first time.  This model ran a close second in the sales race to the Savoy 4 door sedan.  There was another older model car parked on the other side, but not showing well enough to ID.

In today’s world of convenience foods it is hard to imagine preparing a spread like this out of the back of a car.  I am sure there were more people at this event than show in the image.  The “Gordon’s Riplets” box implies this was a Midwest location, and the car was a 1951 Chevrolet Styleline De Luxe Bel Air 2 door hardtop with a trailer hitch.  The Bel Air was Chevrolet’s entry in the hardtop market, and sold over 100,000 copies in this year, its second model year.

Chow time on the road with a nice picnic basket and a couple of Thermos jugs.  Enough to keep all parties satisfied.  Their ride was a well equipped 1953 Pontiac Chieftain De Luxe Convertible.  All 1953 Pontiac models were available with six or eight cylinder power, but the six cylinder sales were just a shade over 10% of total sales.  The price difference between the six and eight on this convertible was $74.

Traveling off of the main highways meant you had to do without some of the luxuries, like a table.  But there was nothing wrong with a picnic amongst the dandelions on a cool day.  Parked to the side was a two tone 1955 Buick Special 4 door Riviera hardtop.  This was the first year for the four door hardtop, which General Motors offered only in the Buick and Oldsmobile divisions.  They were very popular, and all divisions and car makers had their own versions in 1956.

These men were taking a meal break on what may have been a bird hunting trip.  A loaf of Mrs. Baird’s Bread points toward Texas as the location, as does the faded 1961 Texas Inspection Sticker in the windshield of the 1960 Chevrolet Bel Air 4 door sedan.  The Bel Air was the middle series of three from 1959-1963, and in 1964 it became second from the bottom of four series.  The dog looks like he was thinking “where’s my food?”.

This one appears to be three generations of females, and the man in the background was the husband of one of the ladies, and perhaps the photographer was another husband.  They were traveling in a close to new 1962 Rambler Classic Custom or 400 Cross Country wagon from Quebec.  It had a loaded aftermarket roof rack on the front part of the roof to go along with the loaded factory rack on the rear roof section.  The Classic was available solely with a six cylinder for this year only.

And our closing shot today appears to be a party of back packers/mountain climbers that were either loading or unloading their gear while one was guzzling some milk.  Their vehicle was a 1963-1967 Jeep Gladiator 4 wheel drive pickup with a camper shell.  The Gladiator and related Wagoneer were leaders in the four wheel drive market’s move toward more modern and livable vehicles.  This truck style was in production through the 1987 model year.

Thanks for joining us and have a great day!

 

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