IN THE FIELD: Back In The Day

A few weeks ago I was at a classic car show admiring the many makes and models of a bygone era. Long before I was born, automobiles had style. Not that they don’t now, it was just different. It was the age of streamlining. Cars, planes and trains where all obtaining faster and faster top speeds. Even household items such as toasters looked like they could move across the kitchen counter at mach speed.

In my mind, cars from the 1920‘s to the 1950’s were pieces of art, sculpted of metal, fabrics, leather and exotic wood. They had an elegance about them.

One of my favorite features of vintage autos are the hood ornaments. I am drawn to the uniqueness of each and every one.

Many were influenced by art styles of the times. They were as varied in design and sophistication as the engine hoods they adorned. Some looked like airplanes or jets. Leaping animals such as greyhounds or leopards were commonly used, as were stylized birds and mythical creatures. Some were plain, many were ornate and some even flashy. You could almost always identify a car by it’s hood ornament.

The hood ornament pictured in this post is from a 1942 Packard.

She is the Goddess of Speed.