Girls with curls.

[Dollisdad]

[Dollisdad]

[Dollisdad]

[Dollisdad]

[George House]

Last photo: Rare example of all brass painted black. Thank you Tom. These are jewels.

[love2T's]

Last photo: Rare example of all brass painted black. Thank you Tom. These are jewels.

And in my not so humble opinion, that's a shame. To each his own again. Is it me or does the driver slightly resemble Original Smith? Nice looking '13 otherwise, and too bad the view isn't from the driver side so we can check if the horn is mounted correctly! Great indication of a correct top boot too! And the lady....bet she was a stern school marm!! And ran THEIR house!

[Rich P. Bingham]

While we’re “picking on” the last photo, those square-nose front fenders seem a bit odd. After-market ?

[hull 433]

The last photo was taken in 1917 when brass was long out of style. Besides, in 1917 everyone is getting fun paint jobs —

[Mike Silbert]

While I agree that it is a shame to paint all that beautiful brass, painting brass was not un-common in the past.
I personally dislike polishing brass myself (even though I have 2 brass cars). Maybe I was tasked with too much polishing as a kid?
For religious reasons, not having to polish it, or just to modernize the car painting brass parts was done back then.
See the 1912 Menonite owned Torpedo in the Encyclopedia for example.
By the teens brass was becoming less and less desirable.
Interesting that they left the crank handle as aluminum and did not paint it!

For the parts manufacturer brass was easier to work (less pressure) and wore out dies and tooling slower than steel.
So as the brass era faded the parts makers were still making parts from brass and painting them to make them "new".
Brass material at the time was not nearly as expensive as it is today.

Tastes change, opinions change, what we like today may not be what people like in the future.
This is an example of a historical sidenote.
Would anyone restore a car today and paint the brass lamps today?
I don't believe it is common but I have seen it before.

The car in question is a 1913 roadster with a 1917 plate.
The front fenders do appear to have a more square front end like a "1912" front and "1913" rear
For 1913 there are 2 documented front fenders possible, maybe there was a 3rd type for a while?
Ford was still buying from multiple sources and the aftermarket was making "spurious" parts also.

My 2 cents worth and my opinion
Mike

[Herb Iffrig]

I suppose the paint would wear off of the crank handle.

[jiminbartow]

Judging by the matching scuffs on the side and doors of each car, pictures 1 and 3 are of the same car and the same girls.

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[Robert Kiefaber]

Judging by the matching scuffs on the side and doors of each car, pictures 1 and 3 are of the same car and the same girls.


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Mary Pickford fans!

[George House]

Yes, and fairly unusual windwings

[Atomic Amish]

While I agree that it is a shame to paint all that beautiful brass, painting brass was not un-common in the past.
I personally dislike polishing brass myself (even though I have 2 brass cars). Maybe I was tasked with too much polishing as a kid?
For religious reasons, not having to polish it, or just to modernize the car painting brass parts was done back then.
See the 1912 Menonite owned Torpedo in the Encyclopedia for example.
By the teens brass was becoming less and less desirable.
Interesting that they left the crank handle as aluminum and did not paint it!

For the parts manufacturer brass was easier to work (less pressure) and wore out dies and tooling slower than steel.
So as the brass era faded the parts makers were still making parts from brass and painting them to make them "new".
Brass material at the time was not nearly as expensive as it is today.

Tastes change, opinions change, what we like today may not be what people like in the future.
This is an example of a historical sidenote.
Would anyone restore a car today and paint the brass lamps today?
I don't believe it is common but I have seen it before.

The car in question is a 1913 roadster with a 1917 plate.
The front fenders do appear to have a more square front end like a "1912" front and "1913" rear
For 1913 there are 2 documented front fenders possible, maybe there was a 3rd type for a while?
Ford was still buying from multiple sources and the aftermarket was making "spurious" parts also.

My 2 cents worth and my opinion
Mike

I wanted a brass radiator car- preferably one with 'wings' signifying a Piquette build- until I worked at Greenfield Village. That gave me my fill of polishing brass.
I have been converted to the 'holy black' now.

jason

[TXGOAT2]

Brass became scarcer and more expensive during and after WWI. In some cities, industrial smoke and emissions would have probably tarnished brass overnight. I suspect a lot of people quit polishing brass after the "new" wore off, or during winter or if they drove on muddy rural roads, which most people did. Wax or lacquer can retard tarnish, but once the coating begins to fail, you have a job on your hands to get rid of it and start over.

[Joe Bell]

James, I was thinking the same thing.

[John kuehn]

Can we imagine how the brass T owners in the T era felt after a few months of driving their T’s to work, around the farm and in everyday life on roads that weren’t the best and having to polish the brass and wash the nice shiny paint jobs? Think about it.
The photos of the T’s that were being used in daily life show what that thought about it.

[TXGOAT2]

I'd think a T that shared a barn with livestock would have tarnished brass almost overnight.

[Junk poor]

Is the girl in the first picture missing an arm and a leg?

[TXGOAT2]

Poor lighting, I think ... what about the ghost in the back seat?

[Mark Nunn]

Pat, she has both arms in photo 3. You can see the "ghost" face there too.

[TXGOAT2]

The Ectoplasm must have been stronger in photo 3....