The photograph “Riverbank Gas Station” was captured by the artist Dorothea Lange around the year 1940. It depicts a scene with an old-fashioned gas station.
In the black and white photograph, we see a rural gas station with several advertising signs, including those for “7up,” “Coca-Cola,” and gas at “15ยข” per gallon. A vintage car is parked next to a gas pump where an individual appears to be filling the tank. The gas station is a modest structure with a sign “NORWALK” prominently displayed on its roof. Another smaller building is visible in the background to the left. The details here give a sense of a specific time and place, likely in the United States, reflecting the rural, small-town atmosphere of the era, and representing a slice of American life during the early 20th century.
