LB2000.52.1099

LB2000.52.1099

This appears to be Lena Coombs sitting in their Pullman automobile, at the Coombs residence on Northport Avenue, Belfast, with her son Horace at the wheel and two of their dogs in the back seat. The Pullman was an American automobile manufactured in York, Pennsylvania by the York Motor Car Company from 1905 to 1917. Total production is estimated at anywhere from 12,000 to 23,000 cars. The Pullman automobile was named by industrialist A. P. Broomell to reflect the quality and luxury of rail cars and coaches made by the Pullman Company, but the two organizations were not related. Pullman automobiles were sold as luxury vehicles, using advertising slogans such as "Not Only The Best at the Price But the Best at Any Price." While not as expensive as the high-end motor coaches the cars were purported to match in quality, they were considerably more expensive than the contemporary Ford Model T. The Model T introduced in 1909 was $1850, but the price dropped to around $500 by 1914. A Pullman advertisement from 1910 lists four touring car and roadster models for $1650 to $3200.