Photo By Gail

Before gas stations became rows of digital displays and sleek, self-service pumps, filling up the car involved a little more mechanical theater. This vintage Economy Gasoline Pump is a striking reminder of that earlier era of American motoring.

With its bold red-orange body, decorative metalwork, dangling hose, and rounded advertising globe, the pump has the visual presence of an industrial sculpture. Its most intriguing feature is the glass measuring cylinder mounted near the top. On early visible-cylinder pumps, gasoline was drawn into the transparent chamber in a measured quantity before being released into the automobile’s tank. The glass vessel made the process visible to the customer, turning a routine transaction into a demonstration of mechanical precision. Continue reading Eye On Design: The Vintage Economy Gasoline Pump →