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Selling gasoline to consumers
Currently on display
From the Smithsonian Collection
The Atlantic Refining Company, one of the companies that emerged after the Standard Oil trust was dissolved by the Supreme Court in 1911, had territorial rights to sell gasoline in Pennsylvania. This advertisement from 1915, shows that the company sold gasoline to directly to consumers, even after gas stations began to crop up around the nation. In this advertisement, the company has delivered the gasoline to the consumer’s home. The well-dressed man in the picture is fueling his car—the gas tank is located under the seat. |
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advertisement.
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History |
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By 1921, American consumers bought nearly 4 million gallons of motor fuel so they could drive the millions of automobiles that graced the nation's roads and highways. In the early years of the automobile, it wasn't clear what fuel—gasoline, steam, or electric—would become the most popular. But during the 1910s, millions bought gas-powered Model T's, and gasoline became the fuel of choice for most automobiles. In response, a network of gas stations began to spring up. There were an estimated 15,000 gasoline stations in 1920. That number grew to over 120,000 by 1930.
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