Old photo, white border. Circa 1931 – mid-1930’s.

Price:  $10.00        Size:  2 and 5/8 x 4 and 3/8″

This photo’s reverse shows,  “Castle in Old Panama City destroyed by Morgan the pirate.” It was year 1671 when the city was sacked by Morgan’s forces, as part of the Anglo-Spanish War, and perhaps “castle” is not quite the correct term – the Wikipedia entry has “cathedral.”  Morgan was Welsh-born privateer Henry Morgan who later became Lieutenant-Governor of Jamaica.

Panama Viejo or Old Panama was the first permanent European settlement on the Pacific Ocean, and dates back to 1519. Today, located in the eastern suburbs of Panama City, it’s a major tourist attraction and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

I was guessing 1920’s or early ’30’s for this photo but a couple of forum readers at the Antique Automobile Club of America narrowed it down for us. The car is a 1931 Chevy, so the photo’s ’31 through probably the mid-’30’s.

Sources:  Panamá Viejo. n.d. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panam%C3%A1_Viejo (accessed September 8, 2023).

“Old Car from the 1920’s or ’30’s. Help to i.d.” September 5, 2023. Antique Automobile Club of America. (https://forums.aaca.org/topic/403154-old-car-from-the-1920s-or-30s-help-to-id/#comment-2578340).

Henry Morgan. n.d. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Morgan (accessed September 8, 2023).