E-M-F, Flanders, and Studebaker Photographs

Automobile manufacturer Everitt-Metzger-Flanders Co. (E-M-F) began in 1908 intending to mass produce an automobile in a medium price range. The company was named for its three founders: Barney Everitt, successful Detroit automobile body-builder; William Metzger, premier Cadillac Motor Co. salesman; and Walter Flanders, who had previously worked as Henry Ford's first production manager at Ford Motor Company. LeRoy Pelletier, another former Ford Motor Co. employee, was named advertising manager. Soon after its founding, E-M-F established an alliance with another automobile manufacturer, the Studebaker Brothers Manufacturing Co. The partnership was for Studebaker to handle half of all E-M-F automobile sale, including all export business and all sales in the southwestern U.S.

By 1909, following a rift with the company, Everitt and Metzger and left the company to build their own car, the Everitt. They then sold their shares in E-M-F to Studebaker. Walter Flanders, having lost majority control of the company, then also aligned with Studebaker. Together, E-M-F and Studebaker, led by Flanders, began production of a new low-priced car that would compete directly with the Model T Ford, calling it the Flanders 20. By 1912, Studebaker Brothers Manufacturing Company and E-M-F were wholly combined, and by 1913 all new production E-M-F and Flanders vehicles were marketed as Studebakers. Years later, in 1921, Everitt, Metzger, Flanders and Pelletier reunited to build and market the Rickenbacker automobile. Studebaker Brothers Manufacturing Co. continued producing and selling automobiles successfully in America until 1966.

Note adapted from the following: - William E. Metzger. (2014, September 19). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 20:30, January 28, 2015, from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=William_E._Metzger&oldid=626256351 - Walter Flanders. (2014, July 7). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 20:31, January 28, 2015, from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Walter_Flanders&oldid=615917186

The E-M-F, Flanders, and Studebaker photographs consists of 238 black-and-white photographic prints that were once part of an album, most of which are unlabeled and undated. The photographs provide excellent visual documentation of E-M-F and Flanders automobiles, particularly the promotion of their durability and reliability, and include images of E-M-F 20, E-M-F 30, and Flanders 20 models. Researchers should note that some prints are water damaged.

Most photographs depict the use of the E-M-F 30 as the official vehicle chosen to perform a path finding tour in 1909. The tour went from Detroit to Denver via Minneapolis and Kansas City, and was sponsored by AAA and Charles J. Glidden (Pathfinder vehicles were judged on handling and performance on rough roads, steep hills, mountain trails, deep mud, and long distance runs rather than time). Other photographs depict similar Flanders 20 endurance runs in 1911; a Glidden sponsored tour on the East Coast; a pathfinder for the Pacific Highway Association to the Grand Canyon; a trip covering over 4,000 miles from Canada to Mexico entitled "Under Three Flags;" and images of the Tiedeman Trophy Race in Savannah, Georgia. The Tiedeman race was contested by a Flanders car holding a speed record of 84 mph and nicknamed Old Bullet.

There are also photographs depicting the production and shipment of automobiles, automotive workers, automobile track racing, roadside camping, and award ceremonies. Additional genres (often framing an automobile) include landscapes, waterscapes, mountainscapes, streetscapes, cityscapes, and an occasional group portrait.