Buried in Blossom: mystery motors of the flower parades

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If these two photographs aren’t suited to the time of year, what is? It’s spring—for those who may have missed it—and in some parts of the world, the season is celebrated with flower parades. These cars took part in such parades almost a hundred years ago, and aren’t they wonderful?

The first appears to come from La Grange, home to John Paul Austin, to name just one notable resident. The second is believed to have been taken during the Battle of Flowers Parade in San Antonio in 1928.

With both cars covered in hundreds, perhaps even thousands, of flowers, likely white if we had to guess, they are not easy to identify. Remarkably, only the tires remain flowerless, and even those appear to have been painted white. Still, there’s bound to be a small detail that gives the game away, isn’t there?

Words: Jeroen Booij
Pictures: Library of Congress

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