A Dodge and its cabinet of surprises

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Isn’t that neat? Look at that big boot that’s being transformed into a beautiful wooden cabinet. Do we have a caption? Yes we do: 'This cabinet, built in the trunk department of an automobile, is specially designed to aid travelling salesmen in exhibiting their wares. Each drawer is glass-topped to protect their samples, and drawers can be pulled out all the way for demonstration purposes. George Drescher demonstrating the new cabinet at the 21st Automotive Service Industries Show in Chicago.'

This photograph was taken in 1940 so that means the show had been going on since 1920 and we found it described itself as ‘The Greatest Automotive Mart in the World’ at the time. There must have been some interesting stuff on display there in Chicago, with this being a particularly clever, not to mention attractive, example. Note too the big black device bolted onto the boot’s inside – a lampshade, we would think, to illuminate the wares in those glass-topped drawers, whatever they might have been - cutlery, bone china, jewellery, watches... The possibilities were endless.

You can just make out the model name ‘Luxury Liner’ on the Dodge’s rear bumper. A car like that would have been typical transport for the American travelling salesman of the 1940s.

Words: Jeroen Booij; picture: archive
 

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