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The familiar maxim holds that a picture is worth a thousand words, but sometimes images can carry much more emotional resonance when paired with just a little bit of added commentary. Such is the case with these vintage photographs of San Francisco which, while quite interesting in themselves, have enchanted many viewers all the more due to the folksy, travelogue-like letter (presumably written by the photographer) to family back home that accompanies them. Even more remarkable is the revelation that the author of that charming letter was one of most famous personages of his time, American automobile pioneer Henry Ford. Sadly, although these photographs are genuine, the friendly missive and the identity of its author are fabrications. Back around the year 2000, a fellow named Bill Roddy took a folder ofold photographs of San Francisco, merged them with an engaging letter he crafted describing the various scenes shown in those images, and posted the results on his americahurrah.com web site under the title My Trip to San Francisco in 1940. Other sites picked up and replicated the photo/letter combination (believing them to be real), and since most historical things seem more significant to people when associated with famous people, somewhere along the way someone added a made-up signature to the letter identifying the author as auto magnate Henry Ford. As an aside, we note that not only does this travelogue sound nothing like what Henry Ford would have written, but Ford was nearly 77 years old in July 1940. Even if he had visited San Francisco then, it would not have been his first trip to the City by the Bay (although the letter is written from the perspective of someone new to those sights), and it's hard to imagine Ford, given his fame, personality, and advanced age, enjoying the pleasures of Playland at the Beach or walking around San Francisco unrecognized at that time.
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