License Plate Collection

STOCK MARKET CRASH. An unlucky speculator, one Walter Thornton of New York, offering to sell his roadster after the stock market crash: oil over a photograph, Oct. 30, 1929

WALL STREET CRASH, 1929. An unlucky speculator, one Walter Thornton of New York, offering to sell his roadster, October 30, 1929

Rusty gas pumps and car at Henrys Route 66 Emporium in Staunton, Illinois, USA

A blue old Citroen 2CV 2 CV converted into a transport van. Moulin Mas des Barres olive mill, Maussanes les Alpilles, Bouches du Rhone, Provence, France, Europe

Radiator and license of Oklahoma cotton picker's car, San Joaquin Valley, California, 1936. Creator: Dorothea Lange
Radiator and license of Oklahoma cotton picker's car. San Joaquin Valley, near Fresno, California

Farm woman beside her barn door, Tulare County, California, 1938. Creator: Dorothea Lange
Farm woman beside her barn door. Tulare County, California. No more horseshoes!

Mint Green 73 Imperial
Tom Windeknecht

USA, Maine. License plates on Old Wall in Bar Harbor

Souvenir shop, Downtown Calgary, Alberta, Canada

Vehicle registration plate, Belize City, Belize, Central America

Florida, South Beach, classic car parked in front of the Century Hotel

Mexico, Baja California Sur, Arts & Crafts made of license plates

1950's Cadillac Eldorado, back fin & trunk

USA, Maine, Wells, antique license plates

USA, Southwest, New Mexico, Taos County, Taos

Boys sitting on truck parked at the FSA... labor camp, Robstown, Tex. 1942. Creator: Arthur Rothstein
Boys sitting on truck parked at the FSA... labor camp, Robstown, Texas

Luckenbach, Texas, USA. Bench painted like the Texas flag. (Editorial Use Only)

Vintage 1940s Illustration of a Couple Driving in a New Sedan on the Freeway
3034723 Vintage 1940s Illustration of a Couple Driving in a New Sedan on the Freeway, 1944 (colour litho) by American School

Classic 1959 pink Cadillac convertible on road in beautiful Varadero Beach in Valadero Cuba

Old blue car parked in street, Havana, Cuba

HELD: SHEIK & SHEBA, 1925. Sheik with Sheba. A John Held, Jr, cover for Judge, 1925

USA, Colorado, Crested Butte, building with license plate siding

AMERICAN GAS STATION, c1924. A car being inspected at an American gas station, 1924

AUTOMOBILE, 1923. A woman wearing Native American clothing, in a car in the Washington, D.C. area, 1923

DROUGHT REFUGEE, 1936. Drought refugees traveling on U. S. Highway 99 between Bakersfield and Famoso, California
DROUGHT REFUGEE, 1936. Drought refugees traveling on U.S. Highway 99 between Bakersfield and Famoso, California. Photograph by Dorothea Lange, 1936

MIGRANT BOY, 1939. Son of a migrant family in the back seat of a car near Fort Gibson, Oklahoma
MIGRANT CHILD, 1939. A migrant boy from Texas looking out the back of the family truck, east of Fort Gibson, Muskogee County, Oklahoma. Photograph by Russell Lee, June 1939

TEXAS: SEEDS, 1939. Jars of seeds for sale on a luggage carrier of an automobile at a farmers market in Weatherford, Texas. Photograph by Russell Lee, May 1939

ARKANSAS: ROADSIDE, 1935. An abandoned automobile in front of a railroad crossing near a deserted mining town, Zinc, Arkansas. Photograph by Ben Shahn in October 1935

LICENSE PLATE, 1940. Cherry pickers Florida license plate with another plate which reads Belle Glade - Her Soil Is Her Fortune on the back of a Plymouth automobile, Berrien County, Michigan

VERMONT STATE FAIR, 1941. Couple in the parking lot at the Vermont State Fair in Rutland, September 1941. Photographed by Jack Delano

BRAKE INSPECTION, 1939. Young man examining brakes of a pick-up truck which will take a family to California from Muskogee, Oklahoma. Photograph by Russell Lee, July 1939

DOROTHEA LANGE (1895-1965). American Resettlement Administration photographer, in California, February 1936

MIGRANT FAMILY, 1939. A family arriving in a covered wagon from Kansas to work at the potato harvest, near Merrill, Klamath County, Oregon. Photograph by Dorothea Lange, September 1939

TOURISTs CAR, 1940. Photographed at Silver City, New Mexico by Russell Lee

MIGRANT WORKERS, 1935. Pea pickers from Vermont living at squatters camp and working on an automobile parked in front of a tent in a grove of eucalyptus trees at Nipomo, California

AUTO: FORD MODEL T, 1926. Ford Model T Runabout made in 1926, the year before Model T production ended

Australia, NT, Alice Springs. National Road Transport Hall of Fame. Display of assorted license plates

REO AUTOMOBILE. Group of women in an REO automobile. Photograph, c1910

KISSEL KAR, 1910. Five men riding in a Kissel Kar automobile in Massachusetts, 1910

AUTOMOBILE, 1916. An American automobile of 1916

GIRLS WITH CAR, c1919. Two young American girls seated on a car, c1919

COUPLE IN CAR, 1919. A man and woman in a car with Washington D. C. and Maryland license plates
COUPLE IN CAR, 1919. A man and woman in a car with Washington D.C. and Maryland license plates, 1919

Cuba, Havana, Old Car. (Editorial Usage Only)

Cuba, Old Havana. Old classic 1950s auto

Front view of 1930s car
UNITED STATES - CIRCA 1930s: Close-up of front end of 1936 Ford V-8. (Photo by H. Armstrong Roberts/Retrofile/Getty Images)

Meeting of military vehicles, Willys MB 8 Jeep, 1941
Military Vehicles - United States of America, 20th century. Military motorvehicle meeting, Willys MB 8 Jeep, year 1941

Meeting of military vehicles, Moto Guzzi sidecars, 1941
Military Vehicles - Italy, 20th century. Military motorvehicle meeting, Guzzi Alce sidecar, year 1941

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"License Plates: A Snapshot of History and Hardship" In the midst of the devastating stock market crash in 1929, Walter Thornton found himself on the wrong side of luck. Desperate to recover from his financial losses, he made a poignant decision to sell his beloved roadster. The photograph captured this somber moment, with oil stains serving as a haunting reminder of shattered dreams. The Wall Street Crash not only affected individuals like Thornton but also left its mark on entire communities. Rusty gas pumps and an old Citroen 2CV converted into a transport van stand as relics from that era, symbolizing resilience amidst economic turmoil. Moulin Mas des Barres olive mill tells a tale of adaptation and resourcefulness during challenging times. Across different states, license plates serve as unique reminders of history's impact on everyday life. In Colorado's Crested Butte, a building adorned with license plate siding stands tall, representing both creativity and endurance in the face of adversity. Meanwhile, in Maine's Bar Harbor, antique license plates find an unexpected home on an old wall—a testament to the passage of time and changing landscapes. Traveling further south to Belize City in Central America unveils another facet of license plates—vehicle registration plates showcasing cultural diversity within nations. These small metal tags connect people across borders while reflecting their individuality. Wells in Maine takes us back to yesteryears when vintage license plates were cherished mementos displayed proudly by car enthusiasts or collectors alike. Each plate carries stories untold—of journeys taken and memories made along open roads. From North America to Southwest New Mexico lies Taos County—a place where tradition meets modernity against scenic vistas dotted with cars bearing various license plates, and is here that cultures intertwine seamlessly under vast skies—an embodiment of unity amid diversity. Stepping into Robstown labor camp in Texas transports us back to 1942 when boys sought solace sitting atop a truck adorned with license plates.