Description:
Silver prints (158); 3 x 5 and 7 x 9 inches; Some with identifying locations recto, and others with photographer's hand stamp verso.This compelling photo album, compiled between 1948 and 1957, offers a view into the rapid development of roadside infrastructure that took place in California during the transformative period of post-war prosperity.As California experienced a surge in car ownership and a growing reliance on automobiles for transportation, the need for accessible and conveniently located gas stations became increasingly apparent. The album shows how Associated Oil Company (by this time a subsidiary of Tidewater Oil, owned by Getty) strategically positioned their now-iconic "Flying A" gas stations to cater to the burgeoning market up and down the West Coast. This album presents prospective locations (some depicted with realtors' advertising boards), scenes of construction and improvements, and views of recently completed service stations spanning from the Southern Bay Area to Los… Read More
