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IN CONTEXT

This object appears in the following sections:


Americans Adopt the Auto: 		Americans Adopt the Auto — Licensing Cars and Drivers

RELATED OBJECTS
Massachusetts License Plate
Massachusetts License Plate


California license plate
California license plate


District of Columbia License Plate
Currently on display
 From the Smithsonian Collection
This license plate from the District of Columbia, No. 2272, was homemade, using numerals normally used to number houses. The District of Columbia required that all vehicles operating on its streets had a license from DC, but did not issue plates itself until 1907, when it began to issue porcelain plates.
Physical Description
artifact. 11 3/4" L x 7" H (including hooks) x 3/4" D; brass numbers attached to (fragile) patent leather over steel plate, metal hooks.
Details
Date Made:
1902-1907
Locations:
Dist of Columbia
Credit:
Gift of Kenneth F. Anderson
History
As the number of motor vehicles reached tens of thousands, state and local governments assumed a new power: authorizing vehicles and drivers. In 1901, New York became the first state to register automobiles; by 1918 all states required license plates

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