ArtFire

Sitting right beside Route 66 rests an impressively rusty, pitted, dilapidated, half-abandoned old gas station pump, and its damaged white, black, and red face is the focus of this 8x10 Route 66 documentary art photograph. How long this vintage gas pump has been sitting in front of the Conoco filling station is anyone's guess, but judging by the ratio of orange, ochre, and reddish rust compared to what little remains of the white paint, it's been here for quite some time!

As you head west along Route 66 (and believe me, it IS the highway that's the best!), a sharp left turn in the little town of Commerce, Oklahoma, takes you between the Dairy King (apropos, I think, as Commerce is Mickey Mantle's hometown) and the restored vintage Conoco gas station. This art photo allows you to see just a sliver of the Commerce, OK "hole in the wall" Conoco station-repainted a fresh green with fiery orange trim-behind the oxidized relic that's the focus of this art photo.

The rust-covered surface of the old gas pump surely began life smooth and shining. My suspicion is that this old pump hails from the 1950s-a time when the filling station attendant would clean up and polish the pumps, making the station as appealing as possible to those driving by on Route 66. But a cursory glance at this old Bennett gas pump with it's Gilbarco Calco-Meter (don't you love some of the fun names folks came up with in the 50s?), especially close-up as in this documentary photograph, is all we need to tell us that those days are long gone.

What was once crisp white paint has been nearly entirely removed; it has flaked off due to rain, heat, and wind. Instead, the surface of the gas pump is revealed by this 8x10 art photo to have a marvellously rough surface-coarse bumps of orange, ochre, red, chocolate, and terracotta, all created by oxidation. The knotty rainbow of rust covering the old Bennett filling pump contrasts oddly with the still neat and clean white face of the pump, which, although it has partly fallen into the pump itself, still boasts clear, easy-to-read black letters and atomic-style 1950s script. Nearly all of the glass from this watcher of the Mother Road is gone, though the oblong glass window informing us that this is regular fuel remains. Despite being cracked, the big block letters are as clear as the day they were painted.

Whether or not this dilapidated, rusted old filling station pump will ever be restored is not something I know. But even if it is repaired to its former glory and sits beside Route 66 gleaming away for decades to come, I have to say that I think it's beautiful just as it is, too. The flaking remnants of paint, the fascinatingly rusty, crusty orange surface-they make the old Bennett beautiful in its own way.

Be sure to look at the rest of my shop for more documentary art photography of Route 66-and you will also find my art photography of classic cars, neon, retro Americana and more!

Professionally printed on archival-quality 8x10 photograph paper, this photo closeup of a rusted and crusted Route 66 filling station pump has a white border for easy framing and to protect the image itself. I sign, date, and number each photo on back prior to mailing it.

Interested in another size of this Route 66 photo? Please contact me via the "Contact Seller" cue on the right side of your screen!

Though the old filling station where this beaten-up, hyper-rusted old gas pump stands has been beautifully restored and is well cared for, this pump seems to have been neglected and ignored. Maybe it's purposeful-even in its present devastated state, the pump looks cool-or maybe the owners of the Route 66 gas station simply don't know how to repair the pump. The incongruous scene brought some interesting things to mind, and at last, one really bright idea stuck out, giving me the title for this documentary art photo directly from the Mother Road: "Always A Bridesmaid".


Opened during the very early 1930s, Allen's Fillin' Station in Commerce sat empty for some time prior to being restored to its current fabulous blast from the past state and being reopened in 2008. If you swing by on the weekend, you're likely to meet the owners!

digital, camera, canon, apple, mac, Kodak Endura professional paper

Please remember that ArtFire compresses all uploaded images. Therefore, the photos you see here are low resolution. You receive the highest resolution image of the photograph so you will have a glorious, vibrant image for your home, office, or as a gift for a friend.

I ask that you see my policies page for detailed information about shipping, particularly as this applies to international orders. Do remember that the buyer is responsible for VAT taxes, duties, customs and imports fees.

Watermark does not appear on print you receive.

All images and other content Copyright © 1995 - 2013 Liberty Images Photography.