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.
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Kelly's Truck Terminal billboard, Minden, Louisiana

Western Motors sign, Salt Lake City, Utah

Snappers Motors sign, Anderson, South Carolina

Razorback Auto Sales sign, Fayetteville, Arkansas

Razorback Gas sign, Siloam Springs, Arkansas

Pontiac sign, Fayetteville, Arkansas

Sunny Side Truck Stop Cafe sign, Clarksville, Arkansas

Teepee Amoco sign, Lawrence, Kansas

Uniroyal tire, Dearborn, Michigan

Uniroyal tire, Dearborn, Michigan

OK Used Car sign, Hinckley, Illinois

Western Auto sign, Greencastle, Pennsylvania

Buick sign, North East, Pennsylvania

Pontiac sign, Greensburg, Kansas

Kleen Kars sign, Salt Lake City, Utah

Car sign, Clarkson, Washington

Chevrolet service sign, Smith Center, Kansas

GMC Trucks sign, Greensburg, Kansas

Cotton Motor Co. sign, Sebastian, Florida

Cliff Pettit Motors sign, Knoxville, Tennessee

Safe Buy Used Cars sign, Quincy, Massachusetts

Oldsmobile sign, Smith Center, Kansas

Oldsmobile sign, Smith Center, Kansas
