Greiner in "Big Six" Thomas

This artifact image of Art Greiner in a "Big Six" Thomas was derived from a photo first published in the August 10, 1909, Indianapolis News. While it ran concurrently with coverage leading up to the first auto races at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, the original photo was ostensibly captured at that year's Algonquin Hill Climb, which was conducted just prior to the Speedway race meet. Algonquin was one of numerous hill climb contests which were popular for several years in the early days of auto racing. Such events were seen as serious tests of a car's ability to scale inclines, an important quality in consumer purchase decisions.
 
Greiner, who led a troubled life, was regarded as an amateur throughout most in not all of his brief career, did race in the first Indianapolis 500. He lasted only 12 laps before being involved in an accident that claimed the life of his riding mechanic, Sam Dickson.
 
Although it is difficult to assess because of the poor quality of this image record, I believe the original photo was hand-touched, as I have seen many examples of that technique from the period. This may have been done as a kind of special effect to add a sense of drama or it might have been an attempt to salvage a poor quality picture.