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"You can't tell a book by its cover but you CAN tell a car by its hood ornament. Thats a '35 DeSoto."
(uttered by my Uncle Eddie just before his '42 Ford was struck on the driver's side at a busy intersection in Hackensack,
NJ.)
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Hood ornaments (also called "mascots") have been part of the automotive
culture since the vehicles' inception. Originally intended as an decorative "cover-up" of the radiator cap, they quickly
evolved into patented works of art. Without belaboring the point, the visages of knights in shining armor, winged
helmets, mythical gods and goddesses, not to mention an entire menagerie of animals adorned the prow
of production vehicles of the 'teens and 20s. (Trivia info: did you know that Chrysler, NOT Chevrolet, originated
the leaping Impalla?) With the opening of King Tut's tomb in the mid '20s, Ra the sun god, Cleopatra and other
Egyptian countenances became "the rage". Some mascots were done in bust form, some were "complete figure".
Many were "after market" but Detroit, not blind to public appetite for that little something extra, quickly began producing
exqusitely design, patented ornaments of their own.
While the "Chrysler" division of Chrysler maintained a variety
of somewhat stodgy "winged" hood ornaments, the stylized art neoveau and art deco look prospered with their DeSoto
and, briefly, Plymouth divisions.
Gossimar-clad nudes became the "status symbol" mounted on the radiator/hood
of the status-symbol vehicle. Seemingly inspired by Isadora Duncan (or was it "The Butterfly Dance" Thomas Edison filmed
in the mid teens?) they had been popular with many automotive manufacturers for years (the 1924 Rolls-Royce "Spirit
of Ecstasy" designed by Charles Sykes and the 1930 Cadillac ornament designed by William Schnell being the classic examples).
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| Patent for 1930 Cadillac Hood ornament (they were considered an invention) |
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Chrysler Motors was no slouch when it came to alluring hood ornaments.
Witness the 1932 - 33 Plymouth radiator cap mascot below.
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| Pure elegance - there is almost a "winged mermaid" look about her. |
Nestled into a sea of chrome at her hips, this lovely lady survived but a year. By
1936 Plymouth had "rethought" their ornament design, became embroiled in the "Massachusetts heritage" of the name PLYMOUTH,
and until the mid 1950s utilized variations of a sailing ship design (the Mayflower of Plymouth Rock fame). Many
of these sailing ship mascots and accompaning hood, trunk and fender emblems (all a.k.a. "badges") were quite unique
and stylized to be sure, but none where near the exemplary beauty of the little mermaid. The ethereal style lines were inherited
by DeSoto with remarkable results.
1933 to 1936 saw our little mermaid rise from the sea, first to her knees
and finally to a full standing position, the transition encompasing the artistic style of the times. Highly detailed,
these ornaments graced the hoods of DeSoto automobiles, a mid-priced vehicle (yup... they had 'em then, too.) When Chrysler
introduced the short-lived AIRFLOW (not to be confused with the AIRSTREAM) in 1934, it also offered the public a mid-priced
variation as a DeSoto AIRFLOW... (see related page).
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