1959 Cadillac Dealer Promotional Model
notes: label: Description
content: In America’s expanding consumer culture of the 1950s, buying a new car symbolized increased purchasing power and a desire for beauty, comfort, horsepower, and mobility. Big luxury cars sold well, and General Motors, like other manufacturers, kept supplies of model cars in showrooms as teasers and as a color selection guide. Sales representatives gave dealer promotional models to prospective customers, and the same models or similar models could be purchased in stores. This model, which the donor purchased in a toy store, highlighted the latest Cadillac styles and fashions, including soaring, blade-like tail fins with bullet-shaped tail lights. Small but popular marketing tools, model cars accentuated the annual model change as auto makers discarded last year’s features in favor of this year’s novelties and advances.
setName: label: See more items in
content: Work and Industry: Transportation, Road
label: See more items in
content: American Enterprise
label: See more items in
content: Transportation
label: See more items in
content: Road Transportation
label: Exhibition
content: American Enterprise
label: Exhibition Location
content: National Museum of American History
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: Gift of Paul B. McCracken III
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: 2014.0032.04
label: catalog number
content: 2014.0032.04
label: accession number
content: 2014.0032
objectType: label: Object Name
content: model car
physicalDescription: label: Physical Description
content: plastic (overall material)
label: Measurements
content: overall: 2 1/8 in x 3 1/8 in x 8 3/8 in; 5.3975 cm x 7.9375 cm x 21.2725 cm