Truck Drivin’ Men

Old photo, white border. Circa 1918 – early 1920s.

Price:  $5.00          Size:  About 3 and 5/16 x 2 and 3/8″

We’re continuing our day-late Father’s Day theme with a nice old photo, which we’re guessing is from the ’20s, but we’ll find out – according to whatever make, model and year the truck turns out to be. (See the UPDATE below.) The two gents here are maybe a dad with his young son of about three, standing next to their vehicle, on the dirt shoulder of a tree-lined road.

The next thing in binoculars….

So, it looks like there’s writing on the inside of the truck, under the passenger side rear window, but we can’t quite read it. And further scrutiny yields another “arrggh” moment, in trying to make out the words on the sign posted on the tree trunk to our left. (Actually you probably noticed the tree sign first, but whatev 😉 ) If you stare at these kind of things long enough you sometimes get a flash of insight into what they say. Those ah-ha! moments are soooo great. Though, I like the process of imagining (the journey is it’s own reward, right?) having a pair of binoculars that works on old photos:  Just look through, adjust the dial, et voila!

UPDATE:  From the scholars on the forum at the Antique Automobile Club of America, I’ve learned that the vehicle in the photo is a Ford model TT, likely late teens. The cab would have been aftermarket, a more high-end one, possibly a Martin-Parry. And something I never picked up on initially, is the fact that the spare tire blocks the driver’s side entrance, but this was the norm back then; drivers got in on the passenger side. Below an example from Wikimedia:

1919 Model TT Truck.

Sources:  “Help identifying old truck.” September 5, 2023. Antique Automobile Club of America. (https://forums.aaca.org/topic/403153-help-identifying-old-truck/#comment-2578337).

1919 Model TT Truck. n.d. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:1919_Model_TT_Truck_2.jpg accessed September 8, 2023).