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.
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| 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 |
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| 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 |
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| 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 |
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| 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 |
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| 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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| A dapper fellow posing in the driver’s seat of a 1926 Dodge Brothers Touring Convertible in an exotic location. He is wearing a white suit and a flat cap, April 18, 1927 |
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| A dapper fellow posing on the running board of a 1926 Willys-Knight Great Six Roadster in an exotic location. He is wearing a white shirt, white slacks, and brogue-type shoes, December 1927 |
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| A dapper fellow posing with a 1926 Dodge Brothers Touring Convertible in an exotic location. The photo was taken on a road trip to Modjokerto in March 1927 |
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| A dapper fellow posing with a 1926 Willys-Knight Great Six Roadster in an exotic location. He is wearing a white shirt, white slacks, a flat cap, and brogue-type shoes. The photo was taken during the east monsoon in November 1927 |
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| A dapper fellow posing with a 1928 Ford Model A Roadster in the gravelled drive of a private home. The car is registered in the city of Surabaya with Dutch colonial number plates, November 1927 |
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| A dapper fellow posing with an Opel 4/16 PS on a cobbled country road. The car appears to be registered in the city of Berlin, 1927 |
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| Five dapper fellows posing with a 1926-27 Oldsmobile Six Touring in an unpaved village street in wintertime. The car is registered in the Saxon district of Dresden, circa 1927 |
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| A blonde lady and two dapper fellows posing with an ancient automobile on the bank of the River Rhine in summertime. Lorelei Rock can be seen in the background. The print is dated “August 1928” on reverse |
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| A company of five posing with a Chrysler “70” Phaeton in the countryside. The car is registered in the city of Berlin, August 1928 |
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| A dapper fellow posing with a Ford Model A in an exotic location. He is wearing a light-colored double-breasted suit, a matching hat, and brogue-type shoes. The car is registered with Dutch colonial number plates, August 27, 1928 |
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| A fellow wearing a three-piece suit and an elegant lady in a knee-length dress posing with a Steyr XII in the countryside. The car is registered in the Bavarian district of Lower Franconia, circa 1928 |
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| A lady and two gents posing with a 1926 Buick Sedan, circa 1928 |
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| A middle-aged couple posing with a Zbrojovka Z-18 on a gravel road in the countryside. The car is registered with Czechoslovakian licence plates, circa 1928 |
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| A middle-aged lady and two dapper fellows posing with an Erskine Six Sedan on the bank of the River Rhine in summertime. The gents are wearing three-piece suits and smoking cigars. Lorelei Rock can be seen in the background, circa 1928 |
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| A young lady in a checkered dress and two dapper fellows posing with an Opel 10/40 PS in the countryside, circa 1928 |
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| Two couples posing with an ancient automobile on the bank of the River Rhine in summertime. Lorelei Rock can be seen in the background, circa 1928 |
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| Two fashionable couples posing on the running board of a Brennabor ASK 12/55 PS Cabriolet on a cobbled country road. The words “Sommer 1928” (summer 1928) are handwritten on reverse |
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| Two fashionable couples posing with a 1928 Essex Super Six Coach at a filling station in an avenue lined with chestnut trees, circa 1928 |
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| Two ladies and two gents posing with a Wanderer 6/30 PS Typ W 10/IV on a cold winter’s day, circa 1928 |
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| Two middle-aged men and a young lady in a fur-collared coat posing with an Opel 10/40 PS on a snow-covered road in the countryside. The car is registered in the Prussian province of Westphalia, circa 1928 |
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| A company of three posing with a 1928 Ford Model A Roadster on a dirt road in the countryside. The words “Malang – April 1929” are handwritten on reverse. The car is registered in the town of Surabaya |
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| A fashionable lady in an elaborate fur coat posing with a Mercedes-Benz 8/38 PS Typ Stuttgart 200 in the countryside. A dapper fellow can be seen behind the wheel of this car, registered in the formerly Bavarian Palatinate, circa 1929 |
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| A fashionable lady posing with a 1929 Essex Challenger Six Convertible Coupe on an unpaved country road. The vehicle is registered with Dutch licence plates from the province of Noord-Holland, circa 1929 |
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| A fellow with a flat cap posing at the wheel of a Mercedes-Benz Modell SS 27/160/200 PS, registered in the city of Bremen. The print is marked “23.9.1929” on reverse |
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| An elegant lady and two fellows posing with a Hanomag 2/10 PS. The words “Leipzig, den 18.6.1929” are handwritten on reverse. The car is registered in the Prussian province of Saxony |