Photo of Henry Ford in Dealerships
 

Did you guys know that at one time, dealerships were urged/bludgeoned into having a photo of him in the showroom? Or so I have heard. Back in the '60s I went into an older dealership in a small Southern town and there was a yellowed photo in a prominent position in the showroom....

Re: Photo of Henry Ford in Dealerships
 

And...No Picture!

Re: Photo of Henry Ford in Dealerships
 

Henry Ford was one of the most well-known people of that day and age and it'd make sense to me that they'd want to use his likeness in their showrooms. A sort of spokesperson before that was a thing. Think of Dave Thomas in Wendy's.

A lot of the era showroom images have the photo of Henry prominently displayed.

-Tim

Re: Photo of Henry Ford in Dealerships
 

Not just Henry but Edsel also. I bought both of their pictures out of a closed Ford dealership about 20 years ago.

Re: Photo of Henry Ford in Dealerships
 

One of the posters in the original set of showroom posters issued by Ford for the introduction of The New Ford, included one poster of Henry Ford.

Here is that poster hanging on the wall behind the new Tudor. You can see three other showroom posters from that set hanging around the walls as well (showing the various new Ford cars):

https://www.fordbarn.com/forum/attac...1&d=1629429999
(Note that this photo is of the introduction of The New Ford in Sweden, but the showroom poster set was the same one that was used in the USA.)


Here is a closeup of that poster of Henry Ford:
https://www.fordbarn.com/forum/attac...1&d=1629431078

Brad in Maryland

Re: Photo of Henry Ford in Dealerships
 

Drew Ford in La Mesa CA had a picture of Henry handing the franchise paperwork to Joe Drew on display in the showroom. Now a Penske dealership. I suspect the family kept the photo. Too, there was a Model on the showroom floor from time to time. Building was modeled after the Ford Rotunda

Re: Photo of Henry Ford in Dealerships
 

Gustafson Ford in Kewanee, Illinois where we buy our Fords has prominent photos of Henry Ford AND big period photos of Model T-A-V/8's displayed around the dealership even today. The lady at the receptionist's desk has a big picture of Henry-Thomas Edison- and Harvey Firestone behind her on the wall taken at Henry's place in Ft. Meyers, Florida circa 1927.

One of my favorites is a '35 ton and a half Ford wrecker with a dealership's name and the V-8 emblem painted on the truck.

You can go to Ford and order big matte framed pictures just like the kind that they have displayed around the Dearborn Inn. Neat stuff!

Sorry I had a link to that but can't seem to find it.

Re: Photo of Henry Ford in Dealerships
 

Thanks Brad for sharing the photos and ericr for the information.

Re: Photo of Henry Ford in Dealerships
 

Here's another one from the debut of the Model A.

https://www.fordbarn.com/forum/attac...8&d=1629521877

Attachment 471078

-Tim

Re: Photo of Henry Ford in Dealerships
 

Hitler had a photo of him too.

Re: Photo of Henry Ford in Dealerships
 

In the Ford dealerships ? Hahaha

Re: Photo of Henry Ford in Dealerships
 

Almost looks funeralish.............

1st picture in the post........that front hood to radiator gap looks like mine!

Re: Photo of Henry Ford in Dealerships
 

well i don't feel bad about my oil leak anymore, in that first photo of the new model A there is an oil drip on the floor.

ou

Re: Photo of Henry Ford in Dealerships
 

I saw that too but I suspect they left the hood unlatched to facilitate showing the engine to viewers. Remember this was a massive event in that time frame.

Re: Photo of Henry Ford in Dealerships
 

In he 60's at the local Ford dealership they used to sneak in the new model cars at night on a transport truck They unloaded them and would park a couple in the showroom and wrap them in heavy brown butcher's wrap paper so they couldn't be seen until the grand opening, a day they had cake and coffee and all sorts of giveaways. A couple would go out to the owner's farm where he hid them in a barn.

Fun times and the owner's son had bragging rights at school because he had seen the new model cars before we did!! We were all jealous:)

Re: Photo of Henry Ford in Dealerships
 

Back in the '50s and '60s I remember touring dealerships with my Dad and trying to talk the salespeople into letting us look at the new model cars a few days before official release date. He pretty religiously traded in on a new car every three years.

JayJay

Re: Photo of Henry Ford in Dealerships
 

Here is one from Australia, you can see some of the showroom posters that Brad is talking about, although these are probably the Canadian Version. Has anyone seen the windshield poster before? I wonder what it says?