G. Carson Baker's Cunningham Catalog

Appendix F:

G. Carson Baker's Notebook

While working on research for this catalog, we were pleased to locate and obtain from the National Automotive History Collection at the Detroit Public Library a photocopy of a notebook that had belonged to G. Carson Baker. The notebook is part of a collection of images and documents that was donated to the library by the Cunningham family.

The notebook is approximately 4" x 7", the kind that would fit in a lab coat smock. It's divided into two parts, "Traceings" [sic] (approx.135 pages) and "Body Styles" (approx. 65 pages). Much of the material is dated, and ranges from 1920 to 1936 (when Carson left the company). It lists many customer names, various vehicle styles and descriptions, and some drawings and other items relating to Carson's work. In addition to dates, most entries are assigned unique numbers.

Tracing numbers and dates begin at 600 on 10/9/1920, and go to 1287 on 7/21/1936. These are all in Carson's cursive handwriting. In some cases, multiple drawings are listed for the same vehicle. Thus the ID numbers in this section probably distinguish the drawings, but not the models, styles or order numbers. It's not clear whether the recorded date relates to the date the drawing (or job) was started, or completed, and is probably not the sale date. Without more information, it's not clear how the records tie to actual customer orders.

Body Style numbers begin at 83A on 3/24/1920 and go to 389A on 5/19/1936. All have letter "A" as part of ID, but it's not clear what that means in this context. This part of the notebook is curiously recorded in different styles that vary over time, including Carson's cursive, then his printing in uppercase, followed by typewritten, then back to being handwritten. In some cases, the ID numbers in this section may correspond to factory image identification numbers, which can be seen in many Cunningham vehicle photos.

As most of the images in our collection are pre-1920, we don't have many that tie to the notebook. More research may reveal that vehicles in the Detroit Library or Philadelphia Library image collections can be linked to the IDs and descriptions in this notebook.

The archivist copied for us all but some actual small blue prints. Information contained in the notebook is not terribly exciting, but is a nice representation of Carson's work, his planning, and his style of recording. As his granddaughter notes, "He was a very meticulous, conscientious man." Holding the notebook in our hands we have tried to imagine his job and ponder his position and responsibilities within this company.

We were able to find some interesting things when we looked closely enough, put it aside, and then looked at some of the same entries again. It's quite amazing how many places in the United States the cars were sold and shipped to, right from Canal St. in Rochester. We have included here some sample pages to give you the flavor. Although somewhat dry and technical, it has been interesting to us to wonder about the stories behind each of the vehicles, who built them, who owned them, and where they went. We don't think Cunningham gets enough credit for the line of vehicles they offered to the rich and famous (or almost rich and famous).

GCB-Notebook-1925-03-03
#792, April 1, 1925 for Harry Sachs, of the Goldman-Sachs investment banking firm.

About the Goldman, Sachs, and Strauss families and their Cunningham cars:

Samuel Sachs was a successful investor and financial leader on a rather small scale in the late 1800s. Marcus Goldman was a very successful investment banker in the second half of the 1800s. Samuel Sachs married Goldman's daughter and became a partner in Goldman's firm. In 1894 Samuel's brother Harry joined the family-run business and in 1917 Harry was made a Goldman-Sachs partner. Another connection of note, in the early 1900's a member of the Goldman family married one of Jessie Isidor Strauss's daughters (the Strauss family owned and operated Macy's Department store for over twenty years). In the decade following World War I, the Goldman-Sachs firm expanded and it was during that period of economic growth when the Sachs brothers ordered their Cunningham automobiles.

Carson recorded in his notebook in July 1922 that Samuel Sachs placed a preliminary order for a Cunningham limousine (Landaulet style) with a rather long base and customized 3 inches higher than the normal Landaulet specifications. In early August Samuel officially ordered the vehicle, and then on the August 9, 1922 had the specifications finalized.

Three years later, Carson recorded in the notebook in April 1925 (see image above) that Harry was interested in a "small" limousine with what was termed "an inside drive" (the chauffeur sat now protected more than before). Harry must have done some bargaining and thinking since he finally placed the order over two months later in June 1925.

Five years later Harry was generous to his wife and ordered what was a convertible town car but, as Carson noted, Harry requested the top to be stationary and the seat measurements changed for even more comfort. It seems that his wife wanted the seats to be copied from a larger limousine.

End of story from the notebook? Perhaps to keep up with their Goldman-Sachs relatives, the Strauss family requested a design for a small cabriolet (basically a convertible) customized with wooden wheels, which was not common for gasoline-powered cars by that time.

Nearly 90 years later, Goldman-Sachs has been actively involved in financing part of another Cunningham project, but this time a building not a vehicle. In 2013 the DePaul organization broke ground to renovate one of the old Cunningham factory buildings in Rochester, N.Y. and the building opened in December, 2014 offering more than 70 affordable housing apartments.