Framed or unframed, desk size to sofa size, printed by us in Arizona and Alabama since 2007. Explore now.
Shorpy is funded by you. Patreon contributors get an ad-free experience.
Learn more.
Washington, D.C., circa 1922. "Capitol gas station, First Street and Maryland Ave. S.W." National Photo Co. glass negative. View full size | Another view here.
At 28 cents per gallon gasoline was expensive in constant dollars. It was also 40 to 60 octane compared to regular today of 87 octane. It wasn't until the late 20's that octane ratings were increased with tetraethyl lead. Gasoline engines early 20's had a compression ratio not more than 4.3:1 compared to 10:1 or more today. The good old days.
Thanks, the other pumps were right there and I didn't see them. Which reminds me of a story:
Years ago the legendary engineer Phil Irving was a houseguest and during a visit to my shop I asked him if he ever had the experience of laying a spanner down on the workbench, going elsewhere to do something, and upon returning the tool is just gone.
He told me it happens so often that he coined a term for it:
mental invisibility. The spanner is where you left it but you just don't see it in your mind. I've always wondered about this.
"You can trust your car to the man who wears the star" The old advertising song popped into my mind when I saw the Texaco sign.
That has got to be the most beautiful gas station in the country!
I have seen the old square bulk engine oil tanks with the hand pump to fill a spigot quart can. Such a can seems to be next to those three odd looking devices in front of the lattice fence. Are they fancy oil pumps?
[There are two sets of these in the photos. The ones on the left are labeled with signs. In the second photo they all have signs. - Dave]
On Shorpy:
Today’s Top 5