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Washington, D.C., circa 1920. "Amalgamated Tire stores, front." Our second glimpse of this fine establishment. National Photo Co. View full size.
I've often wondered whether the old plates were responsive to near-infrared light, especially since all the tires in this photo appear near-white.
Carbon black was incorporated into rubber compounds in 1910, mainly to improve wear resistance. Maybe these tires are examples of the hold-over design, hence the discount prices.
Oh, wait, those are car tires!
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