From factories past to Harley-Davidson® present

A look at early H-D^® photography practices through images and text from the archives

By Kristina McGuirk, Senior Archivist, Harley-Davidson^® Motor Company

It can be difficult to get a sense of how things worked in the early days of the Harley-Davidson Motor Company, but the archives have many clues to help piece together some of the past.

In the 1920s, it was standard practice to photograph motorcycles, parts, accessories and staged photos of riders at the factory. These images were turned into illustrations to be used in company-produced literature like annual motorcycle model year catalogues, brochures and advertisements.

Although the Motor Company had built a photo studio on the factory roof in 1913, motorcycles were actually photographed all around the property, and we have evidence of these practices in the company archives.

Here are two examples of motorcycles being photographed outside the Juneau Ave factory 100 years ago (more likely 101 years ago) and the product page from the 1924 model catalogue. In each photograph you can see the motorcycle staged against a white tarp or sheet as a backdrop, with glimpses of hands, hats, faces and even sometimes shoes of the people helping hold up the backdrop.

In the larger context you’ll find some of the factory campus buildings, helping to get a sense of where the photo was taken. You can also find location details reflected on the motorcycle body. That same shadowing appears in the illustrations found in the motorcycle model catalogue, which helps us connect the dots on these early company activities.

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