This series of photos show some of the means of transportation available in Europe in 1950. There's nothing here you wouldn't expect, except that the everyday vehicles would be classic cars now. And there's a horse.
The photos were in a box loaned to me by a neighbor who lived in Wiesbaden, Germany, in 1950 with her husband who was stationed there with the USAF CIC. (The official meaning of CIC was Counter Intelligence Corps., but insiders said it meant, "Christ, I'm Confused.")
The photos below were taken in London.
The series of three thumbnails, above, is the front and back of one photo, along with a closeup of the motorcycle. A friend identified it as a BSA. The handwriting on the back says, "Entrance to Clarence House St. James Place."
This one shows a taxi. The handwriting on the back says, "Typical taxi - in London - 'Hacks' taken near Trafalgar Sq."
There is, of course a bus. And there had to be foot traffic. The note on the back of that one says, "Crowd & a typical well to do Englishman note Bowler hat and cane."
Nice to know Germany was exporting VW Beetles in 1950. The one next to it has a car way off in the background, and the handwriting says, "Mr. Berlins home & car in Carlton Gardens."
Moving on to Germany.
There's a German guy posing with his bicycle. Next to that one is a street scene with cars and a horse. The handwriting says, "See how narrow the street is? Always there are wagons & things traffic is a mess. I thought the comparison of the car (Ford) & the wagon was pretty good. Note the old man out in the middle of the street - this is typical & makes driving very difficult."
Bonus: See cover of August 1925 issue of Popular Science Monthly for How we may live and travel in the city in 1950.
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