Black Cat Studio

A rainy day in Berlin, frozen in time.This one came across our scanner and stopped us cold.You are looking down Charlottenburger Chaussee, nowStraße des 17, straight at the Brandenburg Gate.

A woman waits by the car in the rain. The road runs east toward the divided heart of the city.

Here is how we date a photo like this:

The car is an early 1950s Chevrolet, the rounded Fleet line style built around 1950 to 1952. That sets the floor.

Look at the top of the gate. No Quadriga, the famous chariot statue. A single flag flies in its place.
The Quadriga was destroyed in the war and not restored until 1957.

So the photo predates that.
Put those together and you land in the early 1950s, most likely 1950 to 1953. The short license plate, number 211,fits the special and Allied vehicle plates used in occupied Berlin during those years.
This is why scanning matters.
A print sitting in a drawer fades and cracks. A high-resolution scan keeps everydetail readable for the next 70 years and beyond. We scan and restore old photos and documents, then print them at archival quality. Got a box of history at home? Bring it to us in Novato.
We will help you save it.

📍 5420 Nave Dr, Ste D, Novato, CA 94949
📞415-884-2330

✉ [email protected]

Anyone know this car or the exact year? Drop a comment.

LINCOLN SIGNATURE An Abraham Lincoln signature, captured at full resolution.
Found during an archiving project at the studio.
We scan and restore fragile documents, then print them at archival quality.
Document restoration, scanning, and printing in Novato.