1910 Indy Auto Parade Entry

This photo is of the Bell Telephone Company-sponsored touring car for the floral parade, one of the most anticipated features of the March 1910 Indianapolis Automobile Show. The vehicles were judged for awards with categories of "dealers," "unique," and "private" class. This was listed in the local papers as #1: Chalmers, driven by W.R. Hirst and M.D. Atwater. Blue and white Chrysanthemums decorated the vehicle, augmented by artificial flowers of the same colors.
 
For historical context, AT&T had not yet achieved the regulated monopoly status it would be awarded under the 1913 Kingsbury Agreement with the United States government at the time of this parade. Theodore Vail was president of AT&T at the time and was raising the profile of Bell Telephone by recruiting independent phone companies to allow themselves to be acquired and embrace the terms of his franchising model. This is pure speculation, but the visibility in this instance might have been part of a more extensive, nationwide public relations campaign.
 
Thank you to First Super Speedway reader Carolyn Erickson for this outstanding contribution.