The automobile was first invented and perfected in Germany and France in the late 1800s, though Americans quickly came to dominate the automotive industry in the first half of the twentieth century. Henry Ford innovated mass-production techniques that became standard, and Ford, General Motors and Chrysler emerged as the “Big Three” auto companies by the 1920s.
From 1919 to 1929, primarily North America and parts of Europe experienced the rise of the Roaring Twenties. Social and economic circumstances underwent dramatic changes. The economic power and high employment of the United States allowed Americans to spend more extravagantly on entertainment. War veterans returned home seeking relaxation and comfort instead of returning to their factory or agricultural duties. Watching movies and listening to the newly invented radio became increasingly popular during this period, which further encouraged the desires of people for Hollywood style lives of indulgence and ease.
This extravagance was ignited by the introduction of Henry Ford’s Model T, a car affectionately known as the “Tin Lizzie.” Cars became a major source of freedom and adventure as well as travel, and cars greatly altered the standard of living, the social patterns of the day, and urban planning; and cars differentiated suburban and urban living purposes.
In addition, the rise of cars led to the creation of new leisure activities and businesses. The car became the center of middle and working class life until the start of World War II. Here below is a set of vintage photos from Vintage Cars & People that shows men posing with their automobiles in the 1920s.
Two dapper chaps posing with an Opel 4/12 PS in a graveled drive. The car is registered in the city of Stuttgart, circa 1925
A company of five posing with an Opel 9/25 PS Open Tourer in an Alpine setting. The car is registered in Upper Bavaria, circa 1925
A fellow posing in the driver’s seat of a Steiger 10/50 PS Tourenwagen on a gravel road in the countryside. The photo was taken on a road trip to Italy in September 1925. The car is registered in the German state of Baden
Two ladies in summer dresses and a fellow wearing a suit and tie posing with a Ford Model T in a suburban street, circa 1925
A cheerful couple dressed in tennis gear posing with an Opel 14/48 PS in summertime. The car is registered in the formerly Prussian Rhineland, 1926
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