Little did this group of Sunday drivers realize they were making history one day 56 years ago when they stopped to have their picture taken. But today the original photograph, in the form of a glass plate, is kept on display at the Dallas Historical Society Museum as the first automobile to be licensed in Dallas County. Marvin Bradshaw, Right of Way Agent at Dallas in District 18 of the Texas Highway Department, visited the museum and asked permission to take a picture of the picture. Under the supervision of a museum attendant, the glass plate was taken outside in the sunlight, where Bradshaw placed a piece of sensitive paper under the plate to obtain a “sun proof.” A temporary image was then taken to the photo lab where camera copy was made of it. The car was registered under the name of J. M. Oran in 1907.

COURTESY TEXAS DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY

Transcriber’s Notes