You may have noticed that chrome has been making a comeback on the new cars of our day, adding brightwork to otherwise plain exteriors. Not so long ago designers were eliminating just about anything that was purely decorative, even going so far as to substitute black trim for chrome! It wasn't always that way. From the early 30s the auto industry glued-and-screwed-on hood ornaments, hubcaps, spotlights, portholes, scripts, and just about anything that might make a car look more attractive, a trend that probably peaked in the late 1950's with visual references to the forthcoming space age. Did they overdo it? You bet! And yet as we look back, many of us have developed an appreciation for the very ornamentation we once (as boring purists) criticised.
Some people collect while others (like me) are content to renew our acquaintances through books. Which is why I'm happy to recommend Brightwork: Classic American Car Ornamentation by Ken Steacy. Classic Motor News put me on to this one with comments like "wows the reader with detail and quality" and "Brightwork is filled with superb photos by photographer Rob d'Estrube of hood ornaments, horn buttons, script, and emblems. It is difficult to overstate how beautiful the photography is in this book." While checking Ken Steacy's background via Amazon.com I was astonished and pleased to note that he lives in Victoria, BC, just a few miles south of my home in Sidney. (I'll have to get in touch with this talented gentleman.) Meanwhile you can get in touch with the seller 'cause this one looks like fun and at $18.95 it's a car guy's bargain book.