vintage Archives - Geneageek

Family picnic beside an automobile c1920s

A couple of years ago, I posted the above picture of my grandmother’s family enjoying a roadside picnic in front of a ‘mystery mobile’. (The original post can be seen here).

When my ‘car-brained’ brother came to visit a little while ago, I recruited him to help me find out more about the car in the picture. After much google searching, we believe the car to be a 1927/28 Chrysler Imperial 52 coupe. For comparison, here are some other pics of this model:

source: ‘Antique Automobile Club of America’ forums (2013)

source: Hemmings Motor News (Reader’s Rides) (2013)

I also found this vintage (American) advertisement from 1927 on the ‘Imperial Club‘ website:

(zoom of the ’52’):

I’m pretty sure this is the right one but I welcome any corrections or other information.

A lot of magazine articles dedicated to the subject of dating photographs, would use clues such as fashion and the model of the car to date this photograph. Fortunately, my grandmother wrote on the back of almost every photo so I can use my family tree to make the job a bit easier:

“Grandad Reid; Grandma Reid; Aunt Mona; & probably Ron; & Eric; Uncle Walter’s car”

‘Grandad and Grandma Reid’ are Alexander Gibson REID and Janet HUNTER who married in Glasgow 1886 and emigrated to New Zealand soon after. It’s quite exciting to have photographs of people who for a long time were only names on the 1871 and 1881 censuses.

‘Aunt Mona’ was mentioned in my previous post so it is also quite exciting to have a picture of her. ‘Uncle Walter’ must have been taking the photo. They married in 1925 – my grandmother and her older sister were flowergirls for their wedding – so the photo is obviously post 1925.

Eric BRUNDELL, the baby being held by ‘Grandma Reid’, was born in October 1928 which means this photograph was taken late 1928 or early 1929.

‘Grandad Reid’ died in late 1929 which to me makes this photo as poignant as the one of Ngaire (see here).

I’d love to know the make and model of ‘Uncle Walter’s car’. Any vintage car enthusiasts care to hasten a guess?

Oh, Chrysler!

Dating Photographs