Text by Patrick Bell.
Families and family cars naturally go together, and today that is what we have in store. I’m sure you all remember this used to be a tradition; families gathered around their cars to capture a moment and make them part of their story—new purchases, road trips, family visits, all with family members in proud or fun poses. So, join us as we view a variety of both families and cars from the past.
Here was a happy family posing on the tailgate of a 1958 Plymouth Custom Suburban 4 door 6 passenger wagon. It had the “Sportone” two tone paint treatment in green, and an Ohio license plate that you can barely see. Dad even had socks to match the car.
A 1949 Buick Super 4 door sedan was the backdrop for this family, with a teenage girl who was the same size as her mom, and a younger boy who was not too far behind. 1949 was the first year for the Buick “Venti-Ports” that were normally mounted on the fenders. This one also had the optional Dynaflow Drive, and someone needs to get to work on those whitewalls.
Three generations were represented here, and I think the young men got their height from their grandfather. Behind them was a 1950 Buick Super that appeared to be a manual transmission car, as a “Dynaflow” nameplate would be mounted above the side molding at the end if so equipped. The 1950 models are unique as the Venti-Ports were mounted on the side of the hood instead of the fenders.
It was chilly on this picture taking day, and the man in the image was ready to take some of his own. I am not sure how to peg this group, but they were standing by a nice 1955 Dodge Custom Royal Lancer 2 door hardtop with three tone paint, which Dodge claimed they were the first to offer. The Custom Royal was the top of the line series that year.
I am surprised this image survived, the kind of shot you got back after developing. Only the lady managed to strike a pose at the right time. The family car was a 1956 Buick Special Estate Wagon with a clean body and dirty tires. It looked like it had a wheel seal issue. The Special was the least expensive and most popular of the two wagons offered that year.
Here was a young family with grandma and a 1957 Chevrolet Bel Air 4 door sedan from Virginia. It was V8 equipped and had the optional bumper guards. There were two toppers on the license plate; one for Orange County, and the other for the Town of Gordonsville, if I am reading it correctly. The man may have been military or former military since he had a tattoo on his arm.
The men were way outnumbered here, but they did not seem to mind. Two of the women were talking instead of posing. Two green cars were there as well, with the closest one a 1955 Plymouth Savoy 4 door sedan with the Powerflow Six and a New York license plate. The other one was a 1955 Ford Customline or Fairlane Fordor Sedan.
A nice, well dressed family was posing here, with the girl being a car fan as she had cars on her dress. Behind them was a 1958 Chevrolet Delray 2 door sedan. The Delray was a one year only nameplate that was the entry level series that year. They offered a Utility Sedan which was the least expensive, but this one had a back seat, so it was the next cheapest model available. On the left edge was the tail of a 1955 Oldsmobile.
We are moving up a year to a 1959 Chevrolet Bel Air 4 door sedan with what appeared to be a 1965 Alberta license plate. The Bel Air was demoted to the mid level series this year, where it remained for many years. I am not sure what this group was doing, but I will guess it was fishing related.
The sun was bright the day this was taken, as they all were squinty eyed, while Junior was ready for some sightseeing with his binoculars. To the right was a 1951 or 1952 Plymouth or Dodge Club Coupe, in the center a 1960 Mercury Monterey 4 door Hardtop Cruiser, and in the street was a 1961 Chevrolet Corvair Monza sedan.
This young family was ready for church as the boys were carrying their Bibles. The sun was low, so likely a morning shot in a Mopar centric driveway. Behind the family was a 1963 Dodge Dart 270 or GT, and to the right were two Plymouths. The two tone was a 1955 Belvedere Sport Coupe with some quarter panel rust and damage, and in black was a 1965 Valiant 200 with V8 power.
If this was a modern image the older three of this family would have been on their phones; but we knew how to be distracted long before cell phones were common. The family was gathered around a 1968 Pontiac 4 door that could have been a Catalina, Ventura, or Executive. It was obviously from Texas with a 1972 license plate. On the right edge was a Plymouth Duster from the early to mid 1970’s.
Mom and Dad and the kids, along with Grandma and the dogs, all patiently posing with the family wagon that was road ready. Their car appeared to be the blue 1968 Chevrolet Bel Air wagon with a roof cargo rack. In the background was a 1967-1969 Opel Kadett wagon, also with a roof rack.
Ladies of all ages please gather over by the tree. The four grown ladies were all the same size, so this likely was three generations of the same family, and they were displaying a variety of fashions from the 1970’s. The car was a 1970 Oldsmobile Cutlass Town Sedan.
Thanks for joining us and have a great day!
Never realized before that the ’60 Merc taillights looked like those of a ’57 Plymouth inside a chromed oval ring. These family photos have a lot of personality, like some of the cars! Great shots.
My dad always had a station wagon in the late 60’s to the mid 70’s. With 3 sisters I always got the “way back seat” for myself and my sisters had the regular back seat. I thought it was cool sitting backward watching where we’d been. Lol
Charming as usual—the people, and the cars. Pretty much all “full-size” cars, with a good balance of sedans and wagons.
Thanks you for putting them in chronological order (rather than bunching the marques together), which seems just-right here.
Sure brought back a lot of great family events, memories. Thank you. Everyone dressed decently, appropriately. So sorry most of that integrity has worn away.
Bringing back memories with these .
I’m glad no one dresses like this anymore .
-Nate
Great photos, as usual! My favorite here is the “Distracted Family” with their ’68 Pontiac from Texas. This is the kind of goofy picture that would be instantly deleted from people’s phones these days, but decades later it’s pure gold. I love the kid showing off his ripped pants. One other (minor) detail of this image is that the Pontiac has a “Clergy” decal on the rear window, so I guess Dad was a minister:
Lots of great shots. Maybe this is obvious, but I find the people way interesting than the cars;they’re a lot more variable and unpredictable.
The teenage boy with the striped pants in the second to last picture looks way too much like I did back then. Eerily so!
My thoughts exactly…about the people vs. the cars.
And the families posing with their pets, even more so.
Rich, once again your perspicacity brings family photos to life. I think that the cat in the last photo is one BIG CAT. I love the photo of the family from Texas. Years later, “Grandma, why were you picking your nails when this photo was taken?””
The 1957 Bel Air does, indeed have license plate topper from both Orange County and the Town of Gordonsville. The reason is that both jurisdictions probably taxed vehicles, and both required those toppers as evidence of payment. Residents of “towns” in Virginia often get double-taxed (for both county and town services, even when there’s no overlap), which is kind of ridiculous. Just a quirk of the state’s taxation system.
Great pictures. The picture of the lad with the ripped trousers was his idea as everyone else is pretending they aren’t there! Priceless.
There’s a large sociological progression here. I see it in the fashions of the teen daughters. In the 1950s, the concept of the “teenager” was just beginning to spread, but plenty of the young women were just dressed like a version of their mothers. As time goes on and the “teenager” spreads, thes same young women have their own fashions and are no longer dressed like their mothers.
Great pix!
I’ve seen plenty of 1959 Chevrolets both back when they were “beaters” and more recently at car shows. Never with the trunk lid open though.
The view of the underside is really interesting. Quite a bit of complication lurking under the smooth outside center crease!
And eventually, the moms started dressing like their teenagers.
Oh Lord – why?
These pictures (and the narratives) are a treat. So many with folks in their “Sunday best” remind of a time when people took great care with their hair and apparel before going out. Perhaps not surprising for a family with a Buick but even the one with the lowly 58 Chevrolet Del Rey are well groomed and dressed (the mother is wearing white gloves). The teenaged boy in striped trousers with a bordering on surly look is typical of so many we’ve seen here and in my own family albums. I have several of myself at that age and in the same time period that make me feel sorry for my parents.
Lots a fun pics. A few we’ve seem before. The one’s with very little posing are the best.
I had a neighbor who had that 59 Chevy Bel Air with the huge wings. I was born in 1953, and to me, that was the most glamorous looking car i’d ever seen (when I was about 10 or 11). It looked like it was getting ready to fly! In those days families even with only one salary were changing cars every two or three years! I was heartbroken when they traded it in for something i thought was kind of, well, lacking in personality compared to that one.
My own parents had a beige 1953 Ford station wagon and i knew how that car sounded when it started up and shifted, the hum was so familiar to me. It was actually comforting. I was very upset when they traded that car in although with three kids riding in it all the time, it was kind of beaten up inside, the ceiling fabric had already needed to be replaced once. My mother started teaching in about 1959 and the car was apparently showing its age as she put more miles on it every day.