Today’s featured enhanced image of traffic congestion in Washington, DC, apparently was shot from the back of a moving vehicle with a long-focus lens on a May 22, 1964, by photographer Marion S. Trikosko. The noted American photojournalist’s work was featured in the New York Times and the U.S. News & World Report, where he worked for almost thirty years.
The exact location of where this photo was shot is unknown, although there are enough clues in the picture that will help our resourceful readers to pinpoint the spot and identify the four-lane roadway. Please share with us what you find of interest in this photograph courtesy of the Library of Congress.
On the far left, behind the light-colored VW Bug, is a four-door 1961 OLDSMOBILE F-85.
I grew p in Lowell Massachusetts where there was a shop called 40HP Engineering that did one day VW engine swaps.
One of my school roommates rebuilt his VW motor in his bedroom.
I’m always curious to find the oldest surviving car in shots like this. In this one, it seems to be the 11-year-old Chevy in the right lane, a ways back. Just a reminder of how long cars lasted back then.
You can also see Volkswagen taking over the world. I see at least four Beetles.
That would be the left hand lane.
I think there is 5; 3 beetles, 1 ghia behind the 59 Ford on the right, and 1 VW van.
Ah, D.C. traffic! I grew up in NJ and moved to Va. as a young man. The process took a bunch of trips, Pa. Pike west to I81 south, good roads and light traffic. A lot of people said take 95, go around DC and hit 66, it’ll save 30 miles. So I did, got lost in DC traffic, back tracking cost the 30 miles plus an extra hour! Never did that again.
Karmann Ghia behind the ’59 Ford. Further past that Ford (left of its center) is an early Falcon.
There’s another early Falcon alongside that VW Type 2 on the right.
Karmann Ghia was my first thought as well, but the more I look at it I’m wondering: P1800 Volvo? Never realized how much the two look alike! Can’t tell if that is the corner of the a Volvo grille or the tail-fin on the ’59 Ford.
It’s the tail-fin on the ’59 Ford.
You’re right, they are similar from the front. Key difference are the wipers. VW wipers on the ghia “rest” on the drivers side while the Volvo wipers rest towards the passenger side. You can see the wiper in front of the driver in the pic.
The 1961 Olds F85 is probably the most unique car in the photo while the Karmen Ghis and VW Beetle are an interesting side by side pair. Hopefully the woman in the 1959 Ford had power steering to wrangle that in heavy traffic.
With both the Washington Monument and Capital Building framing the background this is probably the Shirley Memorial Highway heading south about where Washington Blvd splits off to be looking northeast.
I agree -the angles seem to work best if it’s just before Shirley Memorial/395 crosses over Joyce Street, looking at the southwest corner of the Pentagon and then across the river at the National Mall.
Behind the Bug on the left is a `60 Mercury; likely a Monterey. Behind the two ladies in the `59 Ford in front of us is what might be a Volvo Amazon? The angle is so tight, it’s hard to see many of the cars in traffic here. I do see on the right aways back a `64 Olds 88–the newest car I see in this group.
When I look at pictures like this taken before cars with A/C became prevalent I think of how uncomfortable it must have been driving with the windows down on a hot day. I recall sitting in the back seat of my fathers 1966 Impala (Aztec Bronze with black cloth) as we drove to the Maine or New Hampshire seacoast. All windows down, footwell vents open.
Steve, were the footwell vents in a Studebaker? They worked well in the summer but unfortunately the tube between the outside cover and the inside would crack and break so that in the winter our feet would freeze.
I had two Starlight Coupes (not concurently) in college in the early ’60s, and the side vents worked very well. This was in the Bay Area in California, so there were no freeezing problems.
Behind the dark colored VW is a 1960 Mercury 4 door sedan.
That oval-window Bug in the center is no newer than 57, and the lighter color fabric sunroof Bug is a 58–the first year for the rectangular rear window and larger (but still flat) windshield. My first car was a 58 Bug identical to this one, bought for me in 59 by my dad from a Swiss diplomat he knew, and who was being transferred out of DC and back home. A 9 month old sunroof Bug was quite a score for a 17 year old at that time! Wish I could help on the exact location—it looks familiar and I sort of know-but-don’t-know. I hang out in the MD burbs now that I don’t have to go into the city any more.
A ‘59 Fairlane Town Sedan with Stafford County Virginia plate up front and a circa ‘60 Karmann Ghia behind. Further along, a ‘63 Monterey sedan with breezeway window; the top of a VW a couple behind it; a ‘63 Olds 88 Holiday sedan; a ‘53 Chev 210 2 door sedan; a likely post ‘57 Beetle; and, a ‘60’’61 Falcon.
A ‘60 Montclair sedan in the middle lane behind the Beetle. A ‘61 Biscayne/Bel Air (model guess only) sedan trailing with perhaps another ‘61 Chev behind. Well distant, same lane, a white maybe ‘62 Lancer and a VW Type 2. In the next lane, a white ‘59 (perhaps) Mercury wagon.
Next lane over past what I believe to be the ‘60 Merc could be a ‘63 Ford; the headlight of a ‘63 Valiant pulling in behind the Mercury and, the rear fender of a first generation Comet seen past the Valiant.
In the Lead Photo, a ’61 Olds F-85 DeLuxe Sedan off to the left, a ’60 Mercury Sedan seen between the ’59 Ford, possibly a Galaxie, and a ’57 or earlier VW. Seen over the Galaxie, a ’61 Chevy that appears to be a sedan and seen to the left of it, he rear half of perhaps a ’63 Comet Custom with its 3 hash marks on the rear flanks.
Behind the Galaxie could be a ’61 or later Volvo P 1800, a ’63 Mercury Monterey, Custom or S-55 Breezeway hardtop, a”64 Olds Super 88 (chrome rocker panel molding vs a Dynamic 88), a ’53 Chevy Two-Ten. Seen between it and the VW could be a ’62 Rambler with a’59 Ford wagon off to its rear. Rounding the bend a VW Type 2 and a ’61 Falcon.
Directly behind the mid-center of the ’59 Ford up front, but way in the distance, appears to be a ’63 Chevy pulling onto the expressway.
I believe this would be the Motor Pool or bus-access side of the Pentagon…also the side with the Dental Clinic (facing south for better light).
To my previous posted comment. Rather than a Karmann Ghia behind that ‘59 Ford, the bit of grill visible past the Ford may point to a Volvo P1800 though the windshield washer arm doesn’t appear to be in the proper resting position.
I agree with Scott that location is Washington Blvd. Washington Monument, Old Post Office, and Jefferson Memorial just peeking over top of Pentagon.
This is the face of Pentagon where the plane went in on 9/11.
As to second car in line, I think I see just a bit of the grill of a Volvo P1800. I leave it to David.
The very last car (on the far right) is a light colored wagon.
Judging by its top and windows…a Corvair?
I see what looks like a Rambler in the blind spot of the rear-most Beetle, and in its blind spot, a ‘58 or ‘59 Ford.
AML I bet you where the first to arrive at school every morning. Correct ?
For such a nice looking car, the 59 Ford grills always looked cheap to me.
Following the beautiful 1957 Ford was the poorly altered ’58, followed by the awful ’59. 3 years of the same body that proves change for changes sake is not usually a good thing. In my opinion of course.
Although it may resemble a Volvo 1800 series car, the vehicle behind the ’59 Ford isn’t one of the Volvo coupes. Just looked at mine here in the shop and the side edges of the hood are closer to being parallel and not as tapered, the parking light it larger in diameter and the bottom of the windshield isn’t as curved.
I looked at a front view of my ’67 1800S too and right away agreed with you, David. Perhaps something as exotic as a Frua bodied Maserati A6G but the hood joint to fender is much too angled to be the A6 G.
For a DC native like me, this is an interesting shot. At first I thought this was Shirley Highway (I-395) but I think it is taken from rt. 110 just south of the Pentagon. What you can’t quite see here was the old Naval Personnel Building, which is just outside the photof, on the left, now part of Arlington National Cemetery. This is about 1 1/5 miles south of the Case Bridge.
I think the car just behind the 1959 Ford is a VW Karmann Ghia droptop. Pretty sure it isn’t a Volvo P1800, which was never produced as a convertible.