I can't imagine cross country travel back in those days, and with that old classic ride. Rob, this is excellent once again. Kudos my friend, I think this is so darn good, and I would say they might have been adventurous to do something like that. :) tigs=^..^=

I think most of the early Fords were black, but I see this one has a custom paint job. It looks good Rob. They look like government employees. I'm guessing they were very close friends.
Excellent work once again.

TicK

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...... think most of the early Fords were black....

Well they were gave myself some artistic freedom here. First had it in a flaming cherry red literally was jumping out of the frame so toned it down some. But maybe I will post the cherry red anyway was really cool.

Excellent work on this one, Rob...love the old car and good work on the coloring of their uniforms.

Those are two adventurous ladies driving to San Fransisco in that Ford Rob - very nice coloring on their uniforms and the car as well!!!!!!!!!

I like the use of the running boards as storage for baggage for the cross-country trip. Well done, all ways, Rob!

This is definitely part of a large publicity stunt. The only way these two would make it cross-country in that oversized Fisher-Price toy is with a whole lot of backup. I'll bet they're not even carrying a spare tire. Which they'll probably need before they even get out of the state, tire longevity being what it was in those days. It's kind of like the movie The Great Race, where everyone drove New York to Paris with no supplies. The colorizing is great though, everything looks brand new and minty-fresh. Especially the deep maroon paint job on that soon to be jalopy. At least they started out in style.

i think i would have enjoyed this kind of trip back then.

Again, beautifully done.This looks as though it could have been taken yesterday. I wonder what happened to the two young women

Great colorization Rob! Great job on the Ford. Suspension and smoothness of ride have considerably developed since that model of automobile. I felt uncomfortable with a recent 26-hour ride in a new Camry. Imagine the jostling they endured over that long trek.

You certainly have a talent for finding and re-doing these old works. Again, your artistic hands have done an excellent work of art

Whoa, now that would take a very long time to go from coast to coast. This is outstanding work and colourization and straight into my favs

Back in early days of auto travel, 1900 to 1920, most roads were poorly maintained dirt roads, nearly impassable during times of rain, with so little traffic on them that motorists had to carry tools, tubes, and patching materials to maintain their autos themselves. Most speeds averaged around 25 mph (40 mph was almost unheard of) so a trip across the county was lengthy, not to mention one across the state or, God forbid, the entire country! Auto enthusiasts who could afford them would often band together and drive their convoys on trips of moderate duration. Only die-hard and fearless drivers would travel cross-country, making these two women rather formidable and confidant individuals. The year before this photo was taken, the Federal Aid Highway Act of 1921 had defined the Federal Aid Road program to develop an immense national highway system and was the first coherent plan for the nation's future roads. In 1922, the Bureau of Public Roads commissioned Gen. John J. Pershing to draw up the Pershing Map for construction purposes and to give the government a clear understanding of which roads in the U.S. were the most important in the event of war. The "Pershing Map" was the first official topographic road map of the United States and both these elements of the U.S. highway system were only in their infancy when these intrepid women made their cross-country trek. A considerable accomplishment for their time. (I know of this data because in my career I worked on several magazine articles and two books about early motoring in this country.) As always, Rob, your outstanding colorization brings them to life.

-Nik

The colorization adds a vibrant and contemporary touch to this historical photograph, wordle game breathing new life into the scene.

The photograph documents their upcoming cross-country journey from Washington, DC, BuildNow GG to San Francisco. Originally captured as a black and white glass negative, the image has been colorized, with no rights claimed beyond this enhancement.

The photograph captures Veterans Bureau employee Viola LaLonde and Census Bureau employee Elizabeth Van Tuyl posing beside buckshot roulette a Ford automobile before embarking on a cross-country drive from Washington, DC, to San Francisco on June 13, 1922.