COMBINATION LADDER

Combination Ladder Co. (1800's -1930's)
Providence, Rhode Island

This is a Combination Ladder Co. nameplate (date unknown)   mjs
Size: 132mm wide 65mm high    MM: None

The Combination Ladder Company of Providence Rhode Island was a builder of fire department ladders, whose business dated back to the days of horse-drawn fire equipment. By the early 1900's, the Combination Ladder Company was making complete horse-drawn fire apparatus, including hose wagons, combination hose and chemical wagons, and hook and ladder trucks.

As motor powered fire apparatus began to replace horse-drawn vehicles, Combination Ladder began to make hose and chemical combinations for mounting on commercial motor chassis, including Mack and White. Combination Ladder also built large aerial ladder trucks and complete motor fire apparatus, including pumpers, combinations and hook and ladder trucks, through the 1920's. However, the Great Depression of the early 1930's saw the end of Combination Ladder Company.

Emblem

The cast metal Combination Ladder Company nameplate shown above is very rare.

ALCO

American Locomotive Co. (1909-1913)

Providence, Rhode Island

This is an Alco radiator emblem (c1910)    mjs
Size: 84mm diameter    MM: Unknown

After producing the American Berliet under license from Berliet of France for three years (see American Berliet), the American Locomotive Company, which was a well-known manufacturer of steam locomotives, decided to build its own car. The result was the Alco, which had a very large and powerful engine and was offered in a wide variety of body styles. Alco cars driven by Harry Grant won both the 1909 and 1910 Vanderbilt Cups and took part in the first Indianapolis 500 race in 1911. 

By 1910, the company was also producing taxicabs and trucks. Alco trucks were large cab-over models with solid tires, artillery wheels and were chain-driven. All Alco trucks were powered by very large four-cylinder engines and were offered in 2-ton, 3-1/2-ton, 5-ton and 6-1/2-ton capacities.

Great care was taken to ensure that all Alco vehicles were built to the highest quality standards. As well as powerful engines, Alco cars had the very best quality coachwork. As a result, Alco cars were the most expensive in America, but were also among the most well respected. However, the Alco cars were built at a loss and in 1913 a decision was made to stop making motor vehicles and to concentrate on the manufacture of locomotives.

Emblems

The following Alco advertisement from 1912 includes an illustration of the Alco radiator emblem:

Alco ad showing radiator emblem (1912)  ebay

The first Alco radiator emblem was the red, white and black emblem shown above at the top of this post and again below. This Alco radiator emblem is similar to the previous American Berliet radiator emblem and is extremely rare.

This is an Alco radiator emblem (1909-1910)   mjs
Size: 84mm diameter  MM: Unknown

This is an American Berliet radiator emblem (1908)   mjs
Size: 84mm diameter  MM: None

The Alco radiator design was changed in about 1910 or 1911 to the following black, red and white enamel emblem shown below, This Alco radiator emblem is very rare.

This is an Alco radiator emblem (c1910-1913)   ebay
Size: 84mm diameter   MM: Unknown

This is an Alco radiator emblem and motometer (1912)  glenn franco simmons
Nethercutt Collection 

The Alco emblem shown below is clearly original and has the same design as the Alco radiator emblems shown above but is much smaller. This emblem is also very rare but I do not know where it was displayed.

This is an Alco emblem (c1912)      mjs
Size: 32mm diameter    MM: Unknown

A brass Alco emblem was also displayed on some Alco cars. It was attached at the back of the hood under the outside of the dash board, see examples shown below. 

This is an Alco with a brass emblem at the back of the hood (1913)    caam

Close up showing the brass Alco emblem (1913)     caam

The original brass Alco emblem shown below is very rare:

This is a brass Alco emblem (c1912-1913)      mjs
Size: 109mm high 78mm wide

The Alco name was also displayed on the hub caps, see example below:

This is an Alco passenger car hub emblem (1913)     caam

The Alco hub emblem shown below is a slightly different design:

This is an Alco hub emblem (c1910)     dkc

Alco trucks did not have a radiator emblem but instead had a painted brass nameplate attached to the top of the radiator and another nameplate attached to the chassis frame on the side of the truck, see examples below:

This is an Alco delivery truck showing radiator nameplate (1912)      ms

This is an Alco truck radiator nameplate (1912)     ms

This is an Alco truck chassis frame nameplate (1912)     ms

The Alco name was also displayed on the hub caps, see example shown below:

This is an Alco truck hub emblem (1910)      hatm

CAMERON

United Motor Corp. (1902-1903)

James Brown Machine Corp. (1903-1905)

Pawtucket, Rhode Island

Cameron Car Co.

Brockton, Massachusetts; New London, Connecticut (1906-1908)

Beverly, Massachusetts; New London, Connecticut (1908-1912)

Cameron Motor Co.

West Haven, Connecticut (1912-1913)

New Haven, Connecticut (1914-1916)

Cameron Motors Corp.

Norwalk, Connecticut (1917-1918)

Stamford, Connecticut (1917-1920)

This is a Cameron nameplate (1907-1908)     mjs
Size: 107mm wide 33mm high overall     MM: None

The car built by the Cameron brothers was moved from place to place more than almost any other American car. The earliest cars built by the Camerons were steamers but in 1900 they also built a single-cylinder gasoline powered car.

In 1903, the J. W. Brown Company of Rhode Island began production of the 6 hp single-cylinder, air-cooled Cameron gasoline powered runabout, which was marketed by the United Motors Corporation. Two-cylinder and three-cylinder models were built in 1904, initially for use in motor car races. The Cameron was successful and J. W. Brown took over the sales and marketing. The single-cylinder Cameron was phased out and, for 1905, the Cameron was available as an 8 hp two-cylinder model and a 12/15 hp three-cylinder model.

There were no new Cameron cars built in 1906 but that year the Cameron brothers established the Cameron Car Company in Brockton, Massachusetts and, for 1907, built a range of four-cylinder cars with specially designed, rear mounted gear boxes. In 1908, Cameron production moved to Beverly, Massachusetts and in 1909 branch plants were set up in several other locations, including New London, to help production of a new six-cylinder Cameron model. The Cameron Car Company also built a one-ton truck using double chain drive in 1911 and a Special Delivery Car but Cameron commercial vehicle production ceased completely in 1912.

The Cameron was an attractive car and, from the outset, performed well in competitions, winning numerous hill climbs and track races for several years both in the US and overseas, where export sales were anticipated.

The company was reorganized as the Cameron Manufacturing Company in 1913. There were great plans for expansion of the business but this did not happen.

Cameron cars sold in 1913 were air-cooled cars left over from 1912. The new Cameron car for 1914 was a 21 hp four-cylinder water-cooled model but the war in Europe and serious financing problems put the company into bankruptcy by 1915. There were a few attempts to revive the Cameron with new companies and plants in new locations. No cars were built between 1915 and 1918 but a very small number of Cameron cars with new engines were produced from 1919. A front-wheel-drive farm tractor was also put into production in 1919. However, financial problems persisted and it was all over for the Cameron in 1920.

Emblems

The first Cameron production cars did not carry an emblem but may have displayed a small nameplate or serial plate attached to the body or the dash.

The following original photo shows a stripped down three-cylinder Cameron taking part in a race at Narragansett, Rhode Island in September 1904. The name Cameron Car is displayed on the side of a chassis frame but this is almost certainly done for publicity purposes at the races.

This is a Cameron racer displaying the Cameron name (1904)    ms

The production Cameron had a false radiator and initially did not carry an emblem or a "Cameron" script. Advertisements for 1907, for example, do not show any emblem or script, see below:

This is a Cameron ad showing no emblem or script (1907)   ms

The following photo shows a surviving 1905 Cameron car with a false radiator displaying a brass radiator script but it is most likely that this script was added much later than 1905.

This is a Cameron with a false radiator (1905)   prewarcar

However, it is likely that early Cameron cars did display the "Cameron"  name on a small nameplate attached to the body of the vehicle. Cameron cars built by the Cameron Car Company in Brockton, Massachusetts from 1907 carried a painted, cast metal maker's plate, see example above at the top of this post. This Cameron maker's plate is rare.

The Cameron name also appeared on brass sill plates from about 1908 and possibly earlier, see example below:

This is a Cameron sill plate (c1908)    tcs

By 1908, brass "Cameron" radiator scripts were certainly displayed on some Cameron cars, see original photo below showing a Cameron race car taking part in the International Light Car Races at Savannah, Georgia in 1908:

This is a Cameron race car with a script on the false radiator (1908)   ms

The Cameron script is more clearly shown on the following factory photo from 1909. Original Cameron scripts are very rare.

This is a Cameron car showing a script on the false radiator (1909)    tom

From 1909, the six-cylinder Cameron displayed an elaborate emblem attached to the top of the false radiator and a "Cameron" nameplate/emblem below the false radiator, see original photos below:

This is an original photo of a Cameron car with a radiator emblem (c1909)   dpl

This is a close-up showing the Cameron radiator emblem and nameplate (c1909)  dpl

This photo shows the Cameron emblem on the false radiator top (c1909)   dpl

I do not know if this emblem was finished in polished brass or was painted but an original Cameron emblem like this would be extremely rare and, possibly, ultra rare.

This Cameron false radiator emblem and the nameplate at the bottom are also shown on original photos of Cameron cars in 1910, including the trade show photo shown below:

This is a Cameron car at a trade show (1910)   dpl

Close-up showing the Cameron emblems top and bottom (1910)    dpl

The brass Cameron nameplate/emblem shown below comes from the bottom of a Cameron false radiator and is extremely rare.

This is a Cameron false radiator bottom emblem (c1909-1910)     mjs
Size: 151mm wide 39mm high

A surviving Cameron car from 1911 does not carry a radiator emblem but does display a brass "Cameron" script on the false radiator, see photo below, although it is possible that this car did originally have an emblem:

This is a surviving Cameron car showing a radiator script (1911)    msch

The Cameron car shown above has a Cameron serial plate attached to the bottom of the false radiator. Other surviving Cameron cars have been seen with the serial plate attached to the top of the false radiator. It was more usual for the serial plate to be attached to the dash or under the driver's seat. The attachment of these serial plates to the false radiator may have been carried out at a later time during restoration.

The following illustrations show the Cameron Special Delivery Car and the Cameron Truck:

Cameron Special Delivery Car & Truck (1912)   klingberg

There appear to be no Cameron nameplates on these vehicles, although it is possible that they carried "Cameron" scripts on the delivery car radiator or the front of the truck dash board, but I cannot confirm this. The following Cameron Special Delivery Car advertisement shows the "Cameron" name probably stenciled on the side of the car under the driver's seat:

Cameron Special Delivery Car with side name (1912)  ebay

Cameron Special Delivery Car ad detail showing side name

It is possible that emblems were carried by the water-cooled Cameron model produced for 1914 and for the very few cars built in 1919 but I do not have any confirmed information about Cameron car emblems after about 1912.

However, although there were no Cameron cars built for 1916, these cars were advertised and the following poor quality illustration appears to show a small "Cameron" script used as a radiator emblem.

Cameron car with script rad emblem (c1916)   jacques-leretrait

It is possible that this was the Cameron radiator emblem used in the later years of Cameron car production but I cannot confirm this. If you have any details about these or any other Cameron emblems, please let me know in order to update this post.

The Cameron name was also displayed on the hubcaps, see example below:

This is a Cameron hub emblem (c1910)    dkc

MAXWELL

Maxwell-Briscoe Motor Co.

Tarrytown, New York (1904-1913)

Pawtucket, Rhode Island (1905-1913)

New Castle, Indiana (1906-1913)

Auburn, New York (1908-1913)

Cranston, Rhode Island (1909-1913)

Maxwell Motor Co. (1913-1921)

Maxwell Motor Corp. (1922-1925)

Detroit, Michigan 

This is a Maxwell radiator emblem (dates uncertain, possibly 1914)    mjs
Size: 70mm high 55mm wide     MM: Whitehead & Hoag

Benjamin Briscoe had started to finance Buick but gave that up in 1903 and then he decided to support Jonathan D. Maxwell and the Maxwell-Briscoe Motor Company was established. The Maxwell was a splendid little car with a two-cylinder water-cooled engine and it sold well from the start with the first ten cars being produced in 1904. A four-cylinder model joined the line in 1906 and twins and fours were produced through to 1913. New manufacturing facilities were set up in several locations, as Maxwell sales continued to grow. Delivery vans were made from 1905 to 1912 using the 20hp passenger car chassis and a taxicab was offered in 1908.

Cadwallader Washburn Kelsey became sales manager and put the Maxwell through a number of successful publicity stunts, including being driven up the steps of buildings. Maxwell cars did well in racing events in 1908 and in 1909 a group of ladies drove a Maxwell from New York to San Francisco to great acclaim. In 1910 about 20,500 Maxwell cars were sold. But in 1910, Benjamin Briscoe launched his United States Motor Company, combining Maxwell-Briscoe and Columbia. Kelsey thought Briscoe was mad and left to produce a car of his own.

U. S. Motors collapsed in 1912 and Benjamin Briscoe went off to try again with a car called the Briscoe and Jonathan Maxwell picked up the pieces of Maxwell-Briscoe, reorganized as the Maxwell Motor Company and moved to Detroit. There Maxwell produced four-cylinder cars in a range of horsepower sizes and body styles. Six-cylinder models were built for the 1913 and 1914 model years only. Sales were going well and in 1917 the 100,000th Maxwell was built. Commercial vehicle production began again in 1917 with a conventional 1-ton truck and a delivery van appeared in 1918. Trucks, vans, fire engines and bus bodies were produced up to 1925.

But problems had struck in 1920 when the postwar recession hit the Maxwell. Dealers found themselves with too many unsold passenger cars. There were also technical problems with the Maxwell Model 25 in 1921. Walter P. Chrysler was invited to help turn round the company in late 1921. The company was reorganised as Maxwell Motor Corporation with Walter Chrysler as chairman. Chrysler put right the technical faults in the Maxwell and introduced an improved Maxwell Model 25 in 1922 as the "Good Maxwell". However, Chrysler intoduced his own car in 1924 and Maxwell production ceased in 1925.

Emblems

The first Maxwell cars in 1904 and 1905 displayed a distinctive brass bar across the front of the radiator but did not carry an emblem or radiator script, see example shown in the original photo below:

This is a Maxwell (1905)    dpl

The small rectangular plate on the top of the radiator is not a Maxwell radiator emblem but is a radiator manufacturer's nameplate for the Briscoe Manufacturing Company, see examples shown below, both of which appear on Maxwell car radiators:

This is a Briscoe radiator maker's nameplate    ms

This is a Briscoe radiator maker's nameplate      ms

Early Maxwell cars may also have carried small Maxwell serial plates or simple nameplates similar to the plate shown below:

This is a Maxwell-Briscoe nameplate (c1906)    mjs
Size: 88mm wide 18mm high

By 1906, brass "Maxwell" scripts began to appear on some Maxwell radiators, see example below:

This is a Maxwell with a radiator script (1906)     dpl

Maxwell radiator scripts in various designs and sizes appeared on Maxwell cars for many years but not all Maxwell cars did carry a radiator script. The following photo shows an example of an alternative Maxwell radiator script.

This is a Maxwell radiator script (c1910)    mjs
Size: 195mm wide

The Maxwell name was also displayed on the sill plates and hub caps, see examples shown below:

This is a Maxwell sill plate (c1908)     ms

This is a maxwell hub cap (1908)     ms

By about 1910, some Maxwell models displayed the "Maxwell" name embossed into the top of the brass radiator, see example below:

This is an embossed Maxwell radiator emblem (1910)    ms

The following original photo from the 1911 Glidden Tour shows Maxwell cars with the "Maxwell" name in large letters across the top of the radiator. I have not seen this Maxwell emblem elsewhere and suspect that this emblem may have been specially made for publicity purposes at this event.

Maxwell cars with the "Maxwell" name on the top of the radiator (1911)    dpl

The following brass emblem showing the Maxwell-Briscoe Motor Company monogram is perhaps the first real Maxwell emblem. It has been suggested that this small brass monogram may have been displayed inside the first Maxwell-Briscoe cars in 1904-1905 but I cannot confirm this. If you can provide further information about this emblem, please let me know, in order to update this post. This Maxwell emblem is very rare.

This is a Maxwell-Briscoe monogram emblem (dates unknown)     mjs
Size: 52mm high 50mm wide

The first enamel radiator emblems appeared on some special four-cylinder Maxwell models made for the 1912 model year and may have appeared in late 1911. Interestingly, there were many advertisements for the new 1912 Maxwell models but the illustrations of the cars do not show an emblem, see example below:

This is a Maxwell advertisemet for the 1912 Maxwell Special (Aug 1911)    sep

Close up showing no radiator emblem for the 1912 Maxwell Special   sep

This indicates that the decision to have a radiator emblem for the 1912 Maxwell Special had not been made by August 1911, even though the first 1912 model year cars were produced in late 1911.

The following doubly curved, blue and white enamel Maxwell radiator emblem is believed to have been made for the 1912 Maxwell Special. I have not seen this emblem on a Maxwell car and it may have been a prototype emblem. The emblem may not have been used or possibly used only briefly in late 1911. This Maxwell Special radiator emblem is extremely rare. But, beware, there are flat reproduction Maxwell emblems with this design.

This appears to be a Maxwell Special radiator emblem (poss late 1911) mjs
Size: 62mm high 59mm wide   MM: None

The following red, white and blue enamel Maxwell Special radiator emblem was certainly used for the 1912 Maxwell Special model and is also extremely rare:

This is a Maxwell Special radiator emblem (possibly late 1911-1912)     mjs
Size: 60mm high 57mmwide    MM: None

The following red, white and blue enamel Maxwell Mascotte radiator emblem was used for the 1912 Maxwell Mascotte model and is extremely rare:

This is a Maxwell Mascotte radiator emblem (possibly late 1911-1912)    mjs
Size: 60mm high 57mm wide    MM: None

I do not know, if there were similar radiator emblems for the Maxwell Messenger and Maxwell Mercury models also made for the 1912 model year. If you have details of any such Maxwell radiator emblems, please let me know, in order to update this post.

The following red, white and blue enamel Maxwell 40 radiator emblem was used on the 1913 Maxwell Model 40 and is extremely rare:

This is a Maxwell Model 40 radiator emblem (1913)     mjs
Size: 60mm high 57mm wide     MM: None

I do not know, if there were similar radiator emblems for the Maxwell Model 22 and Model 30 also made for the 1913 model year. I have found no evidence that these emblems exist. If original versions of these emblems could be found, they would be extremely rare.

However, beware, as Nostalgia Reflections have made reproduction radiator emblems for these and other Maxwell emblems, see examples below:

These are reproduction Maxwell radiator emblems    nostalgic reflections

There is very little reliable evidence of the use of emblems on early Maxwell cars. There are very few original photos clearly showing emblems and surviving cars have often had incorrect emblems fitted some time after the date of production of the vehicle.

Based on available evidence, it seems most likely that the 1913 model year Maxwell Model 22 and the 1914 model year Maxwell Model 25-4, which would have first appeared in late 1913, did not carry a radiator emblem but would have only displayed a "Maxwell" radiator script, see example below:

This is a Maxwell Model 25-4 showing a radiator script (late 1913)    volo cars 

A new Maxwell radiator emblem design appeared on the Maxwell car sales brochure for 1913, see below:

Maxwell brochure showing rad emblem (1913) ms

Again, based on the limited evidence available, it appears that the following blue, red and black enamel Maxwell radiator emblem, with a design closely similar to the 1913 Maxwell brochure, may have been used on the 1913 Maxwell Model 30 and possibly also on the 1913 Maxwell six-cylinder models. This Maxwell emblem also appears on a surviving 1914 Maxwell Model 35-4 but it is not certain that this emblem was originally fitted to the car. This Maxwell radiator emblem is very rare.

This is a Maxwell radiator emblem (dates uncertain, possibly 1913-1914)  mjs
Size: 70mm high 55mm wide     MM: Whitehead & Hoag

The following photo shows a variation of this Maxwell radiator emblem with the words "MOTOR COMPANY" finished in black enamel rather than blue. This Maxwell radiator emblem is also very rare.

This is a Maxwell radiator emblem (dates uncertain, possibly 1913-1914)  ms
Size: 70mm high 55mm wide   MM: Whitehead & Hoag

The following Maxwell advertisement for the 1914 model year again shows the new radiator emblem:

This a Maxwell ad showing a new radiator emblem (1914)   ms

However, there was a change in detailed design to the red, blue, white and black enamel Maxwell radiator emblem shown above at the top of this post and again below. This Maxwell radiator emblem was used as the Maxwell registered trade mark and appeared on Maxwell advertisements for several years. 

This is a Maxwell radiator emblem (dates uncertain, possibly 1914)     mjs
Size: 70mm high 55mm wide    MM: Whitehead & Hoag

This Maxwell radiator emblem is not seen on reliable photos of early Maxwell cars. The emblem is a candidate as the radiator emblem for the 1914 Maxwell Model 35-4 but I cannot confirm this. 

The examples of this emblem that I have seen have always been in original unused condition. It is possible that this Maxwell radiator emblem was produced at the time the design became the Maxwell logo in 1914 but was not used on a car. This Maxwell radiator emblem is, nevertheless, very rare.

The six-cylinder Maxwell Model 50-6 included in the 1914 Maxwell advertisement shown earlier above, carried a special red, white and blue enamel radiator emblem, see example below. This Maxwell Fifty-Six radiator emblem probably appeared in late 1913 and is extremely rare. 

This is a Maxwell Fifty-Six radiator emblem (late 1913-1914)    sam
Size: 52mm high 42mm wide MM: Unknown (poss Whitehead & Hoag)

The period 1915-1919 was a time of serious cost cutting for the Maxwell as it tried, unsuccessfully, to compete with the Ford Model T and most Maxwell vehicles in this period displayed a simple "Maxwell" script on the radiator with no radiator emblem. The Maxwell radiator script was usually an iron script, see example below, and mostly painted black.

This is a Maxwell radiator script (c1915-1919)     dnc
Size: 196mm wide

There was an exception, however. The following original photo taken in November 1916 shows a 1917 model year Maxwell 25 with a radiator emblem at the top of the curved radiator:

This is a 1917 Maxwell 25 showing a radiator emblem (late 1916)    vwvortex 

The emblem is also shown in a 1918 Maxwell sales brochure, see below:

This is from a Maxwell sales brochure shows a radiator emblem (1918)   autopaper

This Maxwell radiator emblem is found on a few surviving Maxwell 25 cars from that period and appears to be a colored decal emblem, which is extremely rare, see examples below:

This is a Maxwell touring decal radiator emblem (1917)    schwm
Size: Unknown    MM: None

This is a Maxwell Model 25 tourer showing a decal radiator emblem (1917)   bonhams

Close up showing the decal radiator emblem (1917)    bonhams

The following, originally black painted, pressed metal Maxwell radiator emblem appears to have been used for the 1920 model year Maxwell Model 25. The same emblem was also used on Maxwell commercial vehicles up to about 1922.

This is a Maxwell radiator emblem (late 1919-1922)    mjs
Size:55mm wide 52mm high   MM: Unknown (some D L Auld)

The following unusual cast aluminum version of this Maxwell radiator emblem was likely to have been painted black originally. This Maxwell radiator emblem is rare.

This is a Maxwell radiator emblem (c1919-1920)     dnc
Size:55mm wide 52mm high    MM: None

The following blue and white enamel Maxwell Model 25 radiator emblem was used in the 1921 model year only and is rare. The emblem may have first appeared in late 1920.

This is a Maxwell radiator emblem (late 1920-1921)     mjs
Size: 58mm high 42mm wide    MM: D L Auld

The following Maxwell advertisement appeared in November 1921 and introduced the revamped Maxwell Model 25 for the 1922 model year with a new radiator emblem:

This is an ad for the new Model 25 showing the radiator emblem (Nov 1921)   ms

The blue and white enamel Maxwell radiator emblem shown below was used on the new Model 25 and Maxwell commercials until the end of Maxwell production and is relatively easy to find.

This is a Maxwell radiator emblem (1922-1925)     mjs
Size: 50mm wide 50mmm high    MM: Fox

The following reversed color Maxwell emblem is a reproduction emblem:

This is a reproduction Maxwell emblem  ms