Touring Car

Unidentified (American), Touring Car, 20th century, carved and painted wood and metal, 11 1⁄4 x 24 1⁄2 x 7 7⁄8 in. (28.5 x 62.2 x 19.9 cm.), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Herbert Waide Hemphill, Jr. and museum purchase made possible by Ralph Cross Johnson, 1986.65.334
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Artwork Details

Title
Touring Car
Artist
Unidentified (American)
Date
20th century
Location
Not on view
Dimensions
11 1⁄4 x 24 1⁄2 x 7 7⁄8 in. (28.5 x 62.2 x 19.9 cm.)
Credit Line
Gift of Herbert Waide Hemphill, Jr. and museum purchase made possible by Ralph Cross Johnson
Mediums
Mediums Description
carved and painted wood and metal
Classifications
Subjects
  • Figure group
  • Architecture — vehicle — automobile
  • Animal — dog
Object Number
1986.65.334
Linked Open Data
https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/1986.65.334

Artwork Description

An unknown artist probably created this wooden car as a trade sign, to hang in the doorway of an automobile mechanic or car dealer. A hole in the bottom of the piece suggests it may also have been used as a weather vane (Herbert W. Hemphill, Jr., Folk Sculpture USA, 1976). The car resembles the touring models introduced in the 1920s by Henry Ford to give every American family a car of their own.