THE ARCHIVE / Themes
Gas Stations.
A place to refuel could also be a place to look. Margolies photographed gasoline retailers that borrowed the outlines of teapots, shells and pagodas, alongside more restrained stations. Compare the recognizable silhouette with the working forecourt: pumps, canopies, windows and the space left for a car. The Teapot Dome story follows one especially pointed example, where the commodity being sold became part of a political joke built into the architecture.
793 photographs
265–288 / 793
Gulf Gas sign, close view, Round Top, New York

Gulf Gas sign, Round Top, New York

Jet Gas sign, Watertown, New York

Jet Gas sign, Ogdensburg, New York

Jet gas sign, Cheyenne, Wyoming

Travelers Gas sign, Rt. 28, Bridgewater, Massachusetts

Skelly Gas sign, Florence, Colorado

Texaco Gas sign, San Diego, California

Rocket Gas sign, Texas City, Texas

Comet Gas sign, San Antonio, Texas

Gast Classic Motorcars billboard, Route 23, near Blue Ball, Pennsylvania

Pumpkin sign, Route 99, Dairyville, California

Cal Gas, Route 17, Jacksonville, Florida

White City Gas, Boulogne, Florida

Union Oil, West Los Angeles, California

Premium Gas, Toronto, Ontario

Premium Gas, Toronto, Ontario

Union 76, Cucamonga, California

Union 76, Cucamonga, California

Save Way Gas, Amarillo, Texas

Save Way Gas, Amarillo, Texas

Save Way Gas, Amarillo, Texas

Sugar Maples Gas, Maplecrest, New York
