Description and research notes
Original 1950 service letterhead from Gamil Fawzi El-Motei, official Oldsmobile and Vauxhall agent in Cairo. The upper portion of the sheet is printed on light cream stock with a bold Arabic masthead naming the agency, followed by the address details and telephone number along the right margin. Two halftone photographic panels dominate the header: at left, a nighttime view of the illuminated service station with its forecourt and tower signage; at right, a frontal view of the showroom facade with the GENERAL MOTORS branding and El-Motei signage clearly visible. Between and around the photos, Arabic text lists the brands handled and the services offered, including supply of genuine General Motors parts and modern servicing facilities.
The central body of the page contains a preprinted Arabic form with blank lines for date, customer, registration and chassis details, all completed in dark blue and black manuscript ink. The date is filled as 1950, and the form records the delivery and registration information for a newly supplied car, with the make and model, chassis number, engine number and plate details all entered by hand in a neat commercial hand. The text is arranged in short horizontal lines that follow the printed prompts, typical of mid-century Arabic office forms.
At the lower left, a large rectangular agency stamp in blue ink is struck over the signature area. The stamp carries both Arabic and Latin text, reading OLDSMOBILE – GAMIL F. EL MOTEI, confirming the official status of the dealership. The handwritten signature of the responsible clerk or manager intersects the stamp, giving a complete tie between the imprint and the document. Light handling folds and a prominent brown stain at the upper right corner show genuine in-period office use, but all printed and written elements remain fully legible.
Surviving fully illustrated Egyptian automotive dealer letterheads from around 1950 are uncommon, as most were discarded once vehicles were registered or serviced. This example preserves a rare combination of photographic imagery, bilingual branding, detailed vehicle data and an intact agency stamp, documenting the presence of an official General Motors–linked service station operating between Heliopolis and Abbassia at the height of Egypt’s postwar motoring expansion.