Race programs and newspapers use tight head shots of racing drivers, but those only show you what the person looks like. Environmental portraiture surrounds people with their activities and their passions, providing deeper insight into who they really are. I’ve chosen a few from my personal collection of vintage photographs as examples to show you what I mean.

The first image is of Giuseppe Farina at the 1937 Eifelrennen, casually leaning against the rear tire of his factory Alfa Romeo 12C. Interestingly, another photographer—or maybe the same one—took a second photo from the front of the vehicle of the two mechanics working on the brakes at about the same time; in the background, you can see Farina still leaning on the tire. That photo recently sold in Germany for €1,309! Personally, I prefer the photo we see here—and I would value it at $400 to $500.

The photograph of Mike Hawthorn in front of the Ferrari pits, hands in pockets, pants tucked into socks, at the British Grand Prix in 1956 is an image from Keystone Press. Because of the angle from which the photo was taken, Hawthorn seems to tower over the other people in the frame. He looks like a man destined to become a World Champion—and a man we all would have loved to party with at least once. His skill behind the wheel was beyond reproach when he was on, but there were other days when it just didn’t seem important to him. I would value this photograph at $250 to $300.

The next photo is of Phil Hill preparing his helmet and goggles for an unknown event. Ever the perfectionist, Hill’s quiet and precise nature comes through in this image. He became America’s first World Champion in 1961. He started his road racing career around 1950, racing until 1967. He survived one of the most dangerous eras in racing, and he did it without a major injury. I would expect this photo to sell at $150 to $200. 

The photograph of Jim Clark in a Lotus 33 was taken at the German Grand Prix in 1966 by an acquaintance of mine, Jutta Fausel. When I met Fausel in the mid-1990s, she had traveled the world photographing Formula 1 and Formula 2, as well as shooting IndyCar events. I found her a most handsome woman when we met, so I am sure she was a knockout in her early twenties when she took this photograph. As you can see, Clark thought so, too—he gave her a wink just as she pushed the shutter! For a fraction of a second the photographer and her subject made a connection. This photo would be valued between $150 and $200. 

You may argue with calling the hands-on-a-Dunlop-tire photo a portrait, but look closely and you will see what the hands tell you about the person. We can date the photo by the early Nomex sleeves and the string-back gloves to around 1960 or a few years later. The bits of car we can see tell us that the man is looking at the engine in a rear-engine car, and the condition of the hands tells us that he himself works on the car at times. The photo was taken by Benno Muller, who was famous in racing circles as a portrait photographer, so I would bet that Muller thought of it as a portrait, too. I would estimate the value of this photo at $100 to $150—and I consider it every bit as powerful as the other photographs shown here.
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Dale LaFollette

When I first began writing these columns I knew that at some point I had to write about photographs of land speed record cars as they have been a passion of mine for many years, but I ran into a slight problem, once I started looking through my collection I found there were enough images for at least four columns! So, I had to force myself to pick my absolute favorites to write about. Campbell, Eyston, Cobb and Segrave didn’t make the cut, sorry! Maybe in a future column.

​The first photo is of the “Torpedo Kid”, an electric streamline car built by the Walter Baker of the Baker Motor Vehicle Co. of Cleveland, Ohio. The “Kid” was built from the remains of an earlier Baker record car, the “Torpedo”, which had crashed. The “Torpedo Kid” ran at Daytona Beach in 1904. The number 999 was not a take on Henry Ford’s No. 999, but rather the license number issued by the State of Ohio for the car. I love the fact that the “Kid” is riding on the back of a Baker electric truck, much like modern teams do today.

An electric land speed record car that accomplished very little probably is the least desirable photo here. I think that it should sell at $100-$250, but at auction with two eager buyers who really, really want it…. I have seen images of this quality sell for over $1,000.

The next photo is of Parry Thomas’ “Babs” at Pendine Sands in 1926 where he set a world record time of just over 170 mph for the mile. Thomas built “Babs” himself by extensively modifying the Higham Special which he bought from the estate of Count Zborowski. If I remember correctly, I obtained this photo about twenty years ago with about a half-dozen others of Thomas and “Babs”, but this one really grabbed me because of all the action of both mechanics and spectators in the attempt to push him off.

​This photograph went directly to my collection, while the others were sold. The only downside is that you can’t see Parry behind the wheel in this image which might detract from the value. On the other hand, people love the story of Parry Thomas and “Babs”, so I would expect much interest in this photo all the way up to $400-$500.

The last photo here I consider Art Photography. It is of the car that MG built in 1938 for record breaking purposes. It was to be driven by A.T. “Goldie” Gardner who is sitting in the cockpit speaking to Lord Nuffield, a principal of MG Motors. Gardner used several different engines to set records with this car in various classes clear into the late 1940s.
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While looking at this photograph, consider the interesting angle that it was taken at. Notice the texture of the pavement and how the scoring of pavement at the top of the photo enhances the image with each corner of the photo naturally dark. Finally see how the drain cover at lower left balances the whole composition. You might think that the photographer just got one lucky shot, but I don’t believe that. This anonymous photographer knew what he or she was doing from the placement of the car and the angle of the photograph to the interaction between Gardner and Nuffield.

As a photography collector, you may have overlooked the collectibility of postcards, just as I did for several years. But many postcards are actually 3½”x 5”photos, and are worth a second look as you seek to acquire automotive images.
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You probably have gone to antique shows and seen large tables full of postcards displayed by sellers that would be considered “generalists;” in other words, they have everything that could be considered a postcard. Look for the seller’s Automobile section to see if there are any treasures there. What you are looking for, are Real Photo Post Cards or RPPC as they are known. To tell that an old postcard is actually a real photograph, look at the dark areas of the card in reflected light. They should have a silver cast to them proving that they are an actual silver image.

​The next postcard illustrated is of Count Zborowski in his Bugatti at the Indianapolis 500 in 1923. The Indy 500 has been very popular for over a century, so there are literally thousands of event postcards, and photographs out in the world, which depreciates the value considerably. This is not a bad thing, it just means the Indy 500 collector can put together a comprehensive collection for very reasonable cost. I have seen this RPPC for as little as $30.

The last vintage real photo postcard illustrated is of Léon Théry in his Richard-Brasier, the winner of the 1905 Gordon-Bennett Race. This card has rounded corners from wear, a slight bend at lower right and a postage stamp on the face of the card; all of these are conditions that lower the value to a serious postcard collector, but none of it phases me. In fact, all of the above turn this RPPC into an important historic artifact, as it is all just patina. This card would sell in this country for around $75, but could draw a much higher price in Europe where this event was held.
          All of the cards illustrated are from my personal collection. 
 
Dale LaFollette

It may have never crossed your mind to look at snapshots as a collectable, and you would be correct, 99% of the time.  But… there are times that snapshots, whether taken by a seasoned photographer or just a lucky photographic happenstance, are worthy of your attention.  
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Looking for and finding that elusive 1% in antique stores, etc. will drive you to tears so leave that to others. There are swap-meet vendors in Europe, and online vendors who specialize in auto photography, and occasionally they will have an outstanding snapshot, many at reasonable prices as most early snapshots are small to very small so they are priced accordingly.

The first photograph here is of a Bugatti 101C with body designed by Virgil Exner, and coachbuilt by Ghia. I found it in an album of rather pedestrian car photos but this one spoke to me; outlandish styling, and the young lady along-side in period dress with a wonderful smile, how could anyone resist? Since it is a color photo probably printed in the late 1960s, to early 1970s I am afraid to display it, as color images from that era seem to fade rather quickly but I still enjoy owning it.

The tiny image of Caracciola’s Mercedes-Benz W125 streamliner on the steep banking at AVUS in Berlin in 1937 caught my attention, not for the typical snapshot image of the blurry car, but for the man that seems to be standing on the loud speaker.

These four small snapshot photographs would be valued in most cases less than $75 each if they were purchased from an automobilia dealer.  If they were purchased from another more general source I would expect to pay somewhere in the $10 to $25 range. Some antique dealers think any image of a car is worth way more than it really is, so be prepared to barter.  Just remember, the automobilia dealer might have looked at a million snapshots of puppies, anonymous relatives, old touring cars, farm implements, and combinations thereof to find one jewel, so consider the asking price a finder’s fee and well worth it!

Dale LaFollette

When starting to collect original vintage automotive photography it can be quite rewarding to focus your efforts on a specific driver, or car, or even a favorite event. But, it will make the collection harder to assemble, as the availability of images almost never conforms to your desires. That said, great images of Lewis Hamilton and his Mercedes-Benz grand prix car are currently available of course, but go back in time seventy years and it is a completely different story. So, I would suggest that if older images are what you would like to collect, then widen your scope,

If you are considering collecting automobile photography....a little knowledge as to how to differentiate between a modern and a vintage photograph will go a long way.  The first level of defense against over-spending is understanding the language.  I have seen vintage photographs called period, historical, and original, while many times the seller has no real idea of the age or origin of the image.

Even galleries and museums have a hard time accurately describing what the term “vintage” means when applied to photography.  I have read long dissertations on the subject by very knowledgeable people that come to the conclusion that if a photograph is printed by the photographer on or about the time that is was taken, then it is vintage.  The word “about” is the problem.  To cover the “about” I have read that the photograph needed to be printed within 10% of the ensuing years.  In other words, if the scene depicted in the photograph happened 100 years ago, then the photograph needed to be printed at least 90 years ago to be called vintage.  But there is no hard, fast rule, it is buyer beware.
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Finally, Resin Coated photo paper normally called RC paper came into prominence around 1970. It is the slippery feeling paper that is hard to write on the back of.  It was used in news rooms and other places that required photos to dry fast and it lays flat.  With this information you can easily date photographs on RC paper by coordinating the actual image with the 1970 date.

Up until the digital revolution, there were still many images being printed on photo paper that would test as 1950s or later paper (it would glow when tested).  That printing process has now become an expensive process in comparison to digital, so if someone were to fake an old photo, the reproduction would likely be a digital copy.

The final test is up to you, look at the front of the photograph and mentally date it, then turn to the back and look for anything that might help date the image.  Ultimately you will learn to just feel a photograph and tell a lot about its origins. 

Dale LaFollette

I started collecting auto racing photography over 30 years ago when I invested in a couple of  Jacques Henri Lartigue photographs of my favorite subject.  I had just sold a 6-page spread of my own photographs to a magazine, the check arrived, and I promptly spent it all on the Lartigues.  Little did I know at the time that this would lead to what I now must call a collection.

As I entered further into the subject, I concluded there needed to be some rules or this whole collecting thing would soon be out of control.  I wanted real vintage photographs that were well taken and printed by the photographer, images that would hold up over time.  While not always possible, I wanted to strive for images that were of important moments historically, but most of all I did not want to end up with thousands of photographs I only owned because they were available cheaply.

prove to you that I am not only interested in prewar photography.... and that I have a sense of humor, I offer up this last photograph.  Seems that Citroen held a contest to find drivers for an event called ‘Raid Afrique 1973’, giving each of 100 drivers selected a variety of Citroen 2CVs.  Along the route they actually crossed a portion of the Sahara Desert.  So here we see one of the Citroens in sand, driver with arm hanging out the window, and co-driver on the rear bumper complete with cigarette hanging out of his mouth.

Citroen made ‘Sahara’ 2CVs that were four wheel drive, with a second engine in the rear so this must be one of them, as there is little other reason for the co-driver to be on the rear bumper and it does look like the rear wheels are spraying sand.  Or he could be there just to make a rather humorous photograph!

Vintage images of this quality are still avaiable on eBay in the $10 to $50 range although it takes time to find them.  But then the hunt is almost as much fun as the acquisition, isn’t it?
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Dale LaFollette