After recovering from the crises of the Great Depression and the Dust Bowl, the spirit of human ingenuity and American entrepreneurship found a way to persevere in the 1940s.
As the country prepared for war in the early ’40s, collaboration between businesses and the American people represented a collective resourcefulness. These fabulous photos, were taken by 35mm Kodachrome film from Dave Gelinas’s collection, offer a candid look at an America in transition and the changing cities that people called home.
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| Astoria, Queens, New York – Omni Bus- Circa Late 1940’s |
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| Astoria, Queens, New York – Brodway Ave. – Circa Late 1940’s |
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| 1948 Buick Super Woody Wagon – Ranch Home – Circa Late 1940’s |
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| 1949 Ford Woody Station Wagon – Circa1949 |
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| Cheyenne, Wyoming – Capital – Circa 1949 |
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| Ogallala, NB – Standard Gas Sign & Pumps – Main Street Scene – Autos – Signs – Circa: 1949 |
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| 1948 Buick Super Woody Wagon – Ranch Home – Beautifull Lookinhg Horse- Circa Late 1940’s |
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| 1941 Cadillac – Winter Sleading Scene |
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| 1941 Chrysler Convertible – Navy NAS – Jacksonville License Plate – Circa: 1943 |
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| Shell Gas Station – Visible Gas Pump – Gas Globes – Circa: 1945 |
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| Toll Booth – State Highway – Bridge – Vintage Auto – Circa: Late 1940’s |
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| Sandy Hook, CT – Corbett Crowe Pharmacy – Coca Cola Sign – Autos – Signs – Circa: Late 1940’s |
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| 1949 Oldsmobile – 1949 Ford – Eagle Gate Looking Towards Capitol – Salt Lake City, UT – Circa: 1949 |
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| Sandy Hook, CT – Corbett Crowe Pharmacy – Coca Cola Sign – Circa: Late 1940’s |
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| 1948 Buick Parade Car – North Hollywood Veterans – Used Car Lot – Circa: Late 1940’s |
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| 1939 Chevrolet Pick Up Truck – Taxi – Little Lady In Her Sailor Outfit – Chicago – Circa: Late 1940’s |
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| 1949 Buick Woodie Wagon – Fire Truck – Rail Car – American Flag – Chicago Railroad Fair – Gas Station Attendants As Color Guard – Circa: 1949 |
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| 1949 Kaiser-Frazer – Don Haynes The Marvel Man – The Stunt Man Who Had Himself Welded Into His Car – Circa: 1949 |
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| Tony’s DX Gas Station – Coca Cola Sign – Marvel Cigarettes Sign – Firestone Tires Sign – Gas Pumps With Globes – Somewhere In The Mid West – Circa Late 1940’s |
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| Truck And Tractor Fair – American Flags – Feb, 1948 |
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| Actor Donald OConnor – 1946 Buick Parade Car – North Hollywood, California – Circa: 1946 |
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| Green River Wyoming – Street Scene – Vintage Autos – Signs – Circa Late 1940’s |
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| 1949 Kaiser-Frazer – Don Haynes The Marvel Man – The Stunt Man Who Had Himself Welded Into His Car – Circa: 1949 |
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| 1941 Lincoln – Dorothy Lamour – Atlantic City Parade – American Flags – Circa: 1941 |
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| Tydol Gas Station – Tydol Gas Pump – 1940 Ford COE – Coca-Cola Vending Machine – Circa Late 1940’s |
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| New York City – 5th Avenue – Vintage Autos -American Flag – Easter Sunday – Circa: 1946 |
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| Gov. Thomas E. Dewey – 1948 Ford Sportsman Woody – Presidential Campaign Parade Car – 1948 Utah Centennial Parade – Circa: 1948 |
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| 1948 Utah Centennial Parade Horse – American Flags – Circa: 1948 |
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| 1949 Buick – Mother And Son – Circa: Early 1950’s |
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| 1939 Buick – 1941 Buick – Standard Gas Station – Conco Gas – Williams, AZ – Circa: 1947 |
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| Reno Nevada – Coca Cola Sign – Walgreens – Circa: 1949 |
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| Reno, Nevada – The “Reno Arch” – Woody Wagon – Vintage Autos – Circa: 1949 |
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| Reno Nevada – John Russel – Western Movies Star – Circa: 1949 |
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| Reno Nevada – Scott Bradey – Western Movies Actor – Woody Wagon – Circa: 1949 |
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| Street Scene – Chevrolet & RKO Palace Theatre NYC Billboard Signs – Circa: 1948 |
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| Street Scene – Vintage Autos – Esso Gas Billboard – Circa: 1948 |
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| Main Street Scene – Cleveland, OH – Gillsy Hotel – Doublemint Gum Billboard – Coca Cola Sign – Circa: 1939 |
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| Vintage Autos – Street Scene – Savoy Hotel – Majestic Theatre – Bridgeport, CT – Circa: 1952 |
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| Ford Delivery Truck – Castleton Brands Food Products – Circa: Late 1940’s |
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| 1947 Lincoln Zepher – Horse Back Riders – Coca Cola Sign – Mobil Oil Gas Station And Sign – Circa: 1947 |
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| King Paul & Queen Frederica – Greek Royal Family – Circa: 1949 |
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| Hood’s Milk Truck – Devco Van – Milkman – Circa: 1949 |
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| First National Store – Main Street Scene – Coca Cola Sign – Vintage Autos – Exeter, NH – Circa: 1949 |
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| Mobil Gas Station – Cobble Stone Street – Route 127 In Massachusetts – Vintage Autos – Packard Car – Circa: 1949 |
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| Pontiac GMC Dealership – C.J. Harmon’s – Neon Sign – 1935 Dodge – Circa: 1946 |
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| I.G.A. Store – W.B. Avery – Genest’s Bread Sign – West Campton, NH – Circa: 1949 |
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| “Signs, signs, everywhere there’s signs…” – Two Friends Lost In A Sea Of Signs – Coca Cola – 7up – Grapette – Cafe- Julian, CA – Circa: 1949 |
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| 1933 Dodge Woody Wagon – Black Horse Liquor Store – Seagram’s Display – Circa; Late 1940’s |
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| Standard White Crown Gas Station – Frank’s Service Station – Gas Pumps With Globes – Car Wash – Circa: 1949 |
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| 1946 Pontiac – C.J. Harmon’s Pontiac Dealership – Cleveland Heights, Ohio – Circa: 1946 |
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| Sunoco Gas Station – 1948 Buick Super – Wrexham & Sullivant Ave. – Columbus, OH – Circa: 1949 |
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| “A Stand Out In The Crowd” – New York City – Street Scene – 5th Ave & E 51st St – Circa: 1940’s |
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| 1949 Pontiac Convertible – Brooks Hall – Allegheny College – Meadville, PA – Circa: 1949 |
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| 1948 Buick Woody Wagon – Wheaton, IL – Main Street Parade Scene – Coca Cola Sign – Circa Late 1940’s |
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| 1948 Buick – Atlantic City , NJ – Driveway Scene – Circa: Late 1940’s |
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| 1948 Buick, Boat Dock Scene – Late 1940’s |
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| 1939 Chevrolet – Lighting Cigar Under The Hood – Circa: 1947 |
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| Shell Gas Pump – Circa Late 1940’s |
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| 1941 Lincoln in Parade with Army Officers. |
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| Eskimo Pie Ice Cream Vendors Cart, Coca Cola, Mission Orange, 1949 Mercury, Unknown Location and Date. |
(All photos © Dave Gelinas)