Chris Calle (American, B. 1961) "1900s - Model T Automobile, Henry Ford" Signed lower right. Original Mixed Media on Illustration Board painting. Provenance: Collection of James A. Helzer (1946-2008), Founder of Unicover Corporation. This painting was published on the Fleetwood First Day Cover for the U.S. Celebrate the Century Series 32c Model T Ford stamp issued February 3, 1998. In 1908 Henry Ford produced the first Model T, a sputtering, backfiring contraption that would soon put America on wheels. The first Model T originally sold for $850, but once Ford got his assembly line working to perfection, adapting techniques employed by the meat packing industry, the price dropped dramatically. By 1913 Ford's Detroit plant was assembling 1,000 Model T's daily and by 1924, Americans could buy a new Ford for an amazing $290! "I am going to democratize the automobile," Ford said, "and when I'm through, everybody will be able to afford one." Affectionately dubbed the "Tin Lizzie," the Model T was light, durable, simply constructed and easy for any backyard mechanic to work on. Best of all, it had an exceptionally high clearance that enabled it to maneuver on or off America's country roads, which at that time were little more than rugged, rutted trails that turned to rivers of mud during a hard rain. Still, Ford's stubborn refusal to improve the Model T would eventually result in its demise, as he insisted there would be "no new models, no new motors, no new bodies, and no new colors." By the late 1920s, as Americans came to prefer style and comfort in their automobiles, the Model T's popularity diminished. But because of the extraordinary "Tin Lizzie," America would never be the same again. Image Size: 14.75 x 11.75 in. Overall Size: 22.25 x 16 in. Unframed. (B15825)