I don’t have a date on this color photo of a Van de Kamp’s bakery at the corner of Verdugo Rd and Colorado St, Glendale, but I did find a website showing the history of the Ralphs supermarket logo. The one we can see in the background was used from 1944 to 1947, so let’s call this circa mid-1940s. It’s possible that this photo has been colorized—that sky looks suspiciously picture-perfect, if you ask me—but even if it is, it does remind us how striking those blue windmill-topped Van de Kamp’s bakeries must have been as Angelenos drove around town.
** UPDATE ** – I’ve been told that the vintage photo is indeed a genuine color Kodachrome shot.
1935 advertisement for Van de Kamp’s chocolates:
The intersection of Verdugo and Colorado still has a Ralphs on it, so I assume this is the same corner. This is how it looked in September 2022.
The front end of the blue car in the lower left corner looks kinda like an early-mid 50’s Ford
Thanks, PDQ. David G agrees with you.
Thanks Martin! I think our friend Leslie would be pleased with my automotive researching skills.
Indeed he would!
The blue car at lower left is a 1953 Ford.
Swept wing hood ornament is right. But, check the headlight cover. It’s angular and has a chrome insert ring. That might be ‘54? And what years was this color available?
Awwww hell! I was happy enough to narrow it to early to mid 50’s given the minimal image.