This attractive original 1910 color art print is titled “Out for a Spin.” It was published by The T. D. M. Co. of Red Oak, Iowa, better known as the Thomas D. Murphy Company, one of the major American producers of advertising art calendars and decorative printed images. The image beautifully captures the romance of the early automobile era. Two fashionable women ride in a bright red open touring car, with brass lamps, a large steering wheel, leather upholstery and the open-air feeling of early motoring. The most interesting feature is that the woman on the left is clearly shown driving the automobile, while her companion sits beside her with a flowing green scarf. The art print has a caption, “Out For A Spin” and the artist is identified as “Arthur”. The Thomas D. Murphy Company was highly important in the American art calendar industry. The National Register nomination for the company’s Red Oak factory states that Thomas D. Murphy was closely associated with the creation and expansion of the advertising art calendar industry, and that his Red Oak manufacturing facility became the largest of its kind in the world. The same source notes that Murphy personally selected artwork for calendar subjects and cultivated relationships with artists whose work appeared on Murphy calendars. The company also had a direct connection to automobile culture: Murphy’s own interest in motoring led him to publish automobile travel books beginning in 1908. This small print dates from just two years after the introduction of the Ford Model T in 1908, placing it squarely in the period when automobiles were still novel, stylish and closely associated with modernity and adventure. The print measures approximately 5¼ x 3¾ inches. SOLD
THE CABINET CARD GALLERY 
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