Columbia Motor Car Company
Name/Title
Columbia Motor Car CompanyEntry/Object ID
2025.7.195Scope and Content
This poster is a 1910 advertisement for the Columbia Motor Car Company, presenting the brand as a refined, premium manufacturer at a moment when American motoring was still young and highly aspirational. The artwork shows a brightly painted open‑touring Columbia parked before an inn called the Red Lion, with a well‑dressed couple and their chauffeur. The tagline describes the Columbia as “a car of a thousand excellencies,” a period flourish meant to convey superior engineering, careful craftsmanship, and “exclusive features other cars do not possess.” The fine brass lamps, large artillery wheels, and elegant coachwork reflect the transitional era between carriage‑inspired automobiles and more modern designs. The small note “Licensed under Selden Patent” situates the ad in the contentious early‑automobile legal landscape, when manufacturers paid royalties to the Selden patent consortium.Collection
Dr. Frederick A. Simeone Founder CollectionCategory
Posters