
By the late 1920’s over half of American families owned or had access to an automobile. With nearly 10 million cars on the road, thousands of gas stations began to dot the landscape. Attempting to make the gas station as more than merely as place to refuel, oil companies began featuring it as an attraction itself. Seeking to promote brand loyalty, companies issued maps that presented the station as a place of fun, safety, and service, with the theme of safety being most important. Safety had special significance for a particular type of consumer. Starting in the 1930’s, images of solo women motorists began gracing the covers of road maps. Earlier, women generally were shown as passengers, content to leave the driving and navigation to their male counterparts. Women were also shown thankfully relying upon the solace and protection provided by gas stations and their charismatic, trustworthy, male attendants. Slogans such as “Ask the Man at the Pump!” “Get a Thrilling Filling NOW!” and “Our Restrooms are Clean Across Canada” reminded the female driver that she could always turn to her favorite oil company for support if she became lost, exhausted, or was simply seeking a companionable respite in the midst of her touring.
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Ohio Sinclair
Ohio Sinclair Road Map
Chicago: Rand McNally & Company, ca. 1934
Doug Yorke Collection
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Tide Water Associated Oil Company
Western United States Highways: “Let’s get ASSOCIATED”
Tide Water Associated Oil Company, 1939
Doug Yorke Collection
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The Atlantic Refining Company
Street Map of Miami, Miami Beach
Chicago: Rand McNally & Company, ca. 1946
Bloom Collection
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Atlantic Imperial
New York
New York: Rand McNally & Company, 1958
Doug Yorke Collection
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Standard Oil Company
Indianapolis
Rand McNally & Company, 1960
Bloom Collection
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Phillips 66
Georgia
Phillips 66, 1984
Bloom Collection
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The British American Oil Co. LTD.
Ontario Road Map
B-A Service Products
Bloom Collection