Long before rush hour traffic and GPS was a thing, there was the glorious, sputtering, and often unpredictable dawn of the automobile. At the turn of the century, these “horseless carriages” were mechanical marvels that terrified pedestrians and thrilled the brave passengers. Driving was less of a chore and more of an adventure that required goggles, a full-body duster coat, and a healthy dose of courage. The roads were mostly dirt, flat tires were a certainty, and a simple trip to the next town over was an epic journey. These 50 photos capture the charming, chaotic, and downright hilarious beginnings of our love affair with the car.
#1 Jeantaud 2-Seater Droijsky, Electric Motor, Paris, France,1898
Image source: Jules Beau
#2 One Of The First Automobiles From 1900 At The Demonstration At The Sports Press Summer Festival In Berlin-Ruhleben, Germany, 1900
Image source: German Federal Archives
#3 Two Men In A Car In La Rivivre-Thibouville, France, 1899
Image source: Rijksmuseum
#4 First Electric Cab Designed By I.V. Romanov In Gatchina, 1900
Image source: elektro znatok
#5 Milord 2-Seater Jeantaud, Electric Motor, France, 1898
Image source: Jules Beau
#6 “Automobile Equipped With Roussel Elastic Spoke Wheels Made By Mm. Cadignan & Cie.”, Paris, France, Circa 1890s
Image source: Internet Archive Book Images
#7 Ettore Bugatti And His Bugatti Type 2, 1901
Image source: A1AA1A
#8 The First Automobile Made By Karl Benz, 1885
Image source: Saforrest
#9 Electric Automobile, Chicago, New York, 1900
Image source: Clinton Edgar Woods
#10 Decauville 5 Cv, Ravenez, Coupe Des Voiturettes Automobile, 1900
Image source: Jules Beau
#11 Two Men In A Car, Between 1895 And 1905
Image source: Bibliotheque nationale de France
#12 Voiturette, Clement-Bayard Automobile, 1900
Image source: Bibliotheque nationale de France
#13 New York Auto Show, 1900
Image source: The New York Times
#14 Leon Thery On A Decauville Cart, 1900
Image source: La Vie au grand air
#15 Gobron-Brillie 9 Cv, Cote De Chanteloup, France, 1900
Image source: Jules Beau
#16 Magnus Volk, His Son Bert, And His Sister-In-Law Deborah, In His Electric Dog Cart, Outside Volk’s Electric Rail Office In Madeira Drive, Circa 1897
Image source: wikimedia
#17 Line Of Russell Cars Outside Toronto City Hall, Circa 1900s
Image source: Toronto Reference Library
#18 A Russell Motor Car Company Automobile, Circa 1908
Image source: Library and Archives Canada
#19 George P. Dorris In The First Automobile He Built, Circa 1895-1897
Image source: Missouri Historical Society
#20 One Of The First Electric Automobile, Invented By An Iowan Named Morrison And Sold To Sturgis, Seen Parked In Front Of The West Hotel, Circa 1890
Image source: Hennepin County Library
#21 Ettore Bugatti Arrives In Vienna, III. International Car Expo, Driving A De Dietrich Which He Developed, 1903
Image source: J. Lowy, k.k. Hofatelier, Wien
#22 Decauville 8 Cv Automobile, 1900
Image source: Carle de Maribourg
#23 Armand Peugeot On Peugeot Type 28 Phaeton, 1900
Image source: Armand Peugeot
#24 Stanley Steamer Automobile, Toledo, Ohio, Circa 1900
Image source: Toledo-Lucas County Public Library
#25 Leonce Girardot On Panhard Automobile, Winner Of The Catalogue Race, 1900
Image source: Jules Beau
#26 Departure Of A Fiat Automobile From Hotel Poespo, Halfway The Road To Tosari, Java, Indonesia, 1907
Image source: Ohannes Kurkdjian
#27 Andreas Flocken With Daughter Anna In Her Wedding Dress And Dog Hektor, Circa 1900
Image source: Postkarte
#28 Andreas Flocken With Wife In Electric Car, 1903
Image source: Postkarte
#29 Andreas Flocken (1845 – 1913) With The Electric Car In The Coburg Hofgarten, Circa 1900
Image source: Postkarte
#30 “The Car Is A Reliable Draft Horse If Necessary”, Gardner, Massachusetts, 1885
Image source: Internet Archive Book Images
#31 The First Berlin Motor Cab In Operation, Owned By The Thien Carriage Company, Berlin, Konigsplatz, Circa 1899
Image source: German Federal Archives
#32 Car With Exhaust Pipes Through The Roof In France, 1897
Image source: Rijksmuseum
#33 Krebs System Car At The Bois De Boulogne, Paris, France, 1896
Image source: Chief tin cloud
#34 Participants In The Paris-Amsterdam Race In Their Car, Probably In The Nijmegen Region, Netherlands, 1898
Image source: Rijksmuseum
#35 Jules-Albert De Dion On His Steam Station Wagon, Paris-Trouville, France, 1897
Image source: Le Sport universel illustre
#36 Miss Mabel Martin In An Automobile, Plainfield, N. J., Circa 1899
Image source: Internet Archive Book Images
#37 Car Driver Felice Nazzaro, Targa Florio, Italy, 1908
Image source: Bibliotheque nationale de France
#38 Vincenzo Lancia With Fiat Racing Automobile, 2nd In The Targa Florio, Sicily, Italy, 1908
Image source: Bibliotheque nationale de France
#39 Karl Benz, The 81-Year-Old Inventor At The Wheel Of His First Car, Circa 1920s
Image source: Zenodot Verlagsgesellschaft mbH
#40 Capt Watlington House, Duval Street Key West – Public Library And Automobile, Circa 1910s
Image source: Florida Keys History Center-Monroe County Public L
#41 G. G. And Alexandrina Cantacuzino With Automobile, Bucharest, 1900
Image source: Meridiane Publishing House
#42 The First Strasbourg Motor Show, Meeting Of The Club’s Founding Members At The Buerehiesel, Strasbourg , France, 1900
Image source: Automobile Club Association
#43 Henry Bauchet At The Wheel Of His Car (Front Passenger), 5CV Lessieux-Bauchet Rethel, Ardennes, France, 1900
Image source: Rene Bauchet
#44 Young Lady In An Automobile, Circa 1900-1920
Image source: Keene and Cheshire County (NH) Historical Photos
#45 The Headquarters Of The Cleveland Electric Railway Companyjust As President Horace E. Andrews With A Couple Of Employees, Were Starting Ona Line Inspection Trip Covering Several Outlying Districts Of The City, 1880s
Image source: Internet Archive Book Images
#46 Ivanhoe, Also Known As “Oxford”, A Canadian Electric Automobile, Circa 1900
Image source: “Cars of Canada”
#47 Racing Driver Prevost (Prevot), Participant In The Paris-Amsterdam Race, In His Car (Presumably) In Nijmegen, Netherlands, 1898
Image source: Rijksmuseum
#48 Panhard And Levassor, Tokyo, Japan, 1898
Image source: Morio
#49 Thilde, Clara And Ellen Benz Sitting On A Patent-Motorwagen Automobile, Circa 1900
Image source: OLDTIMER MARKT
#50 Three Men Near A Car In Varaville, France, 1897
Image source: Rijksmuseum
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