While Henry Ford was putting America on wheels, he chronicled the changes with his own private movie company. From its gigantic film library, in 1963 the National Archives produced a remarkable film. See it here. 

On November 18, 1963, William Clay Ford, grandson of Henry Ford, formally presented the National Archives in Washington, DC with a remarkable prize: the contents of the Ford Motor Company’s stupendous movie library and its 1.8 million feet of film. Beginning in 1914 and continuing for decades, the Ford Motion Picture Department, said to be the world’s largest outside Hollywood, had recorded every aspect of American life, from agriculture to industry to transportation. The filming was focused on but not limited to the activities of the Ford Motor Company, encompassing all the subjects of interest to Henry Ford himself—a wide range indeed.

From this priceless trove of historical footage, the National Archives produced a film, appropriately titled Mirror of America, which made its debut in the 1963 ceremony in Washington. Here is a rare and insightful look at America in the opening decades of the 20th century. Enjoy the video.