San Francisco circa 1930. "Hudson 8 sedan." Sidemount spare, shiny stockings optional at extra cost. 5x7 glass negative by Christopher Helin. View full size.

Washington, D.C., 1931. "Woman with donkey in taxicab." For anyone who's ever been instructed to "get your a__ over here RIGHT NOW," here's one possible solution. Harris & Ewing Collection glass negative. View full size.

Circa 1910. "Surf bathers at beach, possibly Atlantic City." Bathing-stockings optional! 8x10 inch glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size.

August 1942. "Women in industry. Aircraft motor workers. A million-dollar baby, not in terms of money but in her value to Uncle Sam, 21-year-old Eunice Hancock, erstwhile five-and-ten-cent store employee, operates a compressed-air grinder in a Midwest aircraft motor plant. With no previous experience, Eunice quickly mastered the techniques of her war job and today is turning out motor parts with speed and skill. Note protective mask and visor, two vital safety accessories." Photo by Ann Rosener for the Office of War Information. View full size.

        The smallest automobile in the world –- Designed and built by Gus Petzel of Alameda, California. The car has a 4-cylinder air cooled motor, 3 speeds, electric lights and starter, 60-inch wheelbase, 21x4 airplane tires, and weighs 560 pounds. It makes 52 miles per gallon and has a speed of 65 miles on the road and 80 miles on the track. Cost $2,000 to build. -- Promotional postcard

San Francisco, 1925. "California State Automobile Association -- Gus Petzel 'Baby Car' at start of cross-country run." A scene from the inauguration of the historic Trans-Continental Sidewalk. 8x10 nitrate negative. View full size.

March 1943. "Chillicothe, Illinois. A helper engine is taken on for added power on a grade extending eight miles on the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe between Chillicothe, Illinois, and Fort Madison, Iowa." Medium-format negative by Jack Delano for the Office of War Information. View full size.

November 1942. "Columbia Steel Company at Geneva, Utah. Bulldozer handling gravel for concrete during the construction of a new steel mill which will make important additions to the vast amount of steel needed for the war effort." Photo by Andreas Feininger for the Office of War Information. View full size.

June 1937. "Sharecropper boy near Chesnee, South Carolina." 4x5 nitrate negative by Dorothea Lange for the Farm Security Administration. View full size.