1920s Yellowstone Bear & Touring Car Photograph with Men Watching National Park for Sale

1920s Yellowstone Bear & Touring Car Photograph with Men Watching National Park For Sale

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1920s Yellowstone Bear & Touring Car Photograph with Men Watching National Park:
$11.99

This early twentieth-century silver gelatin print captures a compelling moment of wildlife encounter during the golden age of American national park tourism. A dark-furred black bear stands in profile in the foreground, its body angled toward the left across sparse, patchy grass and packed dirt. To the left, a man in a light-colored shirt and flat cap stands partially visible, his posture suggesting cautious observation of the animal. Behind the bear, a vintage open-top touring car sits parked, its wooden spoke wheels and classic radiator design placing it firmly in the 1910s or early 1920s. Two additional men occupy the vehicle, both wearing period-appropriate caps; one appears to hold an object to his face, perhaps a camera or binoculars, documenting the scene. Pine branches frame the upper edge of the composition, confirming the forested setting, while the bright sky suggests midday light filtering through the canopy.The verso bears handwritten inscription in dark brown ink that reads "Bear on way from Yellowstone Lake to Grand Canon," providing essential geographic context for this vernacular snapshot. The reference to Yellowstone Lake and the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone River firmly situates this scene within Yellowstone National Park, capturing an era when park visitors routinely encountered habituated bears along roadways—a practice later prohibited as wildlife management philosophies evolved. The photograph exhibits characteristic age-related tonality with slight fading in the highlights and minor surface imperfections consistent with a century of handling. This image serves as both a personal memento of early automobile tourism and a document of the complex historical relationship between Americans and wilderness, when feeding bears from touring cars was considered a harmless diversion rather than a dangerous ecological transgression. The composition reflects the amateur aesthetic of the period, prioritizing the documentation of experience over formal photographic concerns. Related Items: