Studebaker at Spitzkoppe

If a picture could talk, this one would definitely have a story to tell.

Judging by the woman’s dress and the Studebaker automobile, it was taken in the early 1920s. The 1920-1923 Studebaker was a state-of-the-art American vehicle produced by the Studebaker Brothers Manufacturing Company, founded in 1852 to build wagons and horse-drawn carriages. The company changed with the times and began manufacturing automobiles in the early 1900s. The name Laurel on one of the boxes suggests that this relaxed party was carrying their own petroleum. Back then game was plentiful and it appears that they were hunting for the pot.

When I was at Spitzkoppe recently I tried to find the spot where the photo was taken. On the first day I had no success, then with the help of a guide from the nearby lodge I managed to find it. I stood looking at Spitzkoppe imagining how people travelled in the early days.

The one thing that has remained the same over the century is the familiar shape of the Spitzkoppe massif, a popular tourist attraction in central Namibia.