According to the source of this image — Gordon H. Hastings Jr. of Anaheim — this photograph (above) was made by his grandmother in about 1916-1918 and shows his grandfather standing next to his Ford Model "T" Touring Car in the Newhall Pass.

We suspect it might be a bit earlier; the pre-state license plate dates to 1912, and the Touring Car more closely resembles 1912 models than 1916-1918 models. Hastings said his grandparents shot many photographs during their outings from 1902 to 1918.

1912 would put it two years after the completion of the Newhall Auto Tunnel, which created the type of extensive grading seen here.

Below: Other family members with the same car in roughly the same location.

As for the license plate, California required license plates (rear only) beginning in 1905 but didn't manufacture and issue them until 1914. ("Pre-state" means pre-state issue.) In between, vehicle owners were required to provide their own plates. They did so in a variety of styles and materials, although many drivers in the Los Angeles area acquired them from the Automobile Club of Southern California. This is a prevalent style for a plate from 1912, and No. 88655 was a 1912 registration number. Front plates weren't required until 1913, but many drivers ordered sets of two, even when it wasn't a requirement.

This particular print is a 5x7-inch silver gelatin copy print made by the source's grandfather in a darkroom in the early 1950s, from the original negative.