| National Museum of American History

This model was submitted to the U.S. Patent Office with the application for the patent issued to William A. Lighthall, of Albany, New York, October 23, 1849, no.

Description: This model was submitted to the U.S. Patent Office with the application for the patent issued to William A. Lighthall, of Albany, New York, October 23, 1849, no. 6811.; The model shows a combination of a horizontal cylinder with a vertical beam to which the engine’s force is applied between the fulcrum and the connecting rod to the engine crank. It permits locating the propelling machinery of a side-wheel steamboat low within the hull.; The model is a panel representing a horizontal cylinder with piston rod connecting to a short beam pivoted at a point below the level of the cylinder. From a short distance above the point at which the piston force is applied to the beam a long connecting rod connects to the crank on the engine shaft located above the cylinder and at the middle of its length. The location of the condenser below the cylinder and the location of the air pump and the manner of operating it are shown by the model.; Reference:; This description comes from the 1939 Catalog of the Mechanical Collections of the Division of Engineering United States Museum Bulletin 173 by Frank A. Taylor.
Location: Currently not on view

date made: 1849
patent date: 1849-10-23

inventor: Lighthall, William A.

ID Number: MC.308641
catalog number: 308641
accession number: 89797
patent number: 6,811

This salt-glazed jar was made by D. Roberts & Co. at the Fayette Stoneware Factory in Utica, New York, about 1827-1828. This firm was the third to open in Utica, an important commercial center on the Erie Canal.

Description: This salt-glazed jar was made by D. Roberts & Co. at the Fayette Stoneware Factory in Utica, New York, about 1827-1828. This firm was the third to open in Utica, an important commercial center on the Erie Canal. In a busy agricultural region, Utica was a major marketing town and the most significant center for pottery production in the upper Mohawk Valley. The Fayette Stoneware Factory produced some of the best early stoneware in Utica.; The presence of nearby stoneware clays gave rise to the New York state salt-glazed stoneware tradition that, by the early 1800s, developed in villages and towns along the Hudson River. Shipped upriver, the clay returned downstream after being transformed into useful ceramic vessels. With the Erie Canal completion in 1825, stoneware production extended its range to meet the increased flow of perishable goods from the Great Lakes region.; Stoneware clay, when fired to a temperature of about 2100 degrees F, vitrifies into highly durable ceramic material that holds liquids and keeps perishable contents cool. Stoneware potters in America, many of them immigrants from Germany and the Netherlands, maintained their European tradition of throwing coarse salt into the kiln. The salt melts in the heat and forms a pitted glassy surface on the vessels, which would otherwise be a dull grey.; The production of these sturdy salt-glazed containers declined following improvements in tinning and canning perishable foodstuffs. In the late 1850s, the glass Mason canning jar entered the market, after which the potteries lost much of the demand for food storage containers that sustained so much of their production.

date made: 1827-28

ID Number: 1977.0803.89
accession number: 1977.0803
catalog number: 1977.0803.89

Date made: 1882
date made: 1887

associated person: Edison, Thomas Alva
maker: Bergmann & Co.

ID Number: EM.181754
catalog number: 181754
accession number: 33261

This wooden surgical case with brass fittings has three main compartments, one of which is a tray that lifts out from the lower case. The interior of the case is molded so that each instrument has its own compartment. The entire interior is lined with purple velvet.

Description (Brief): This wooden surgical case with brass fittings has three main compartments, one of which is a tray that lifts out from the lower case. The interior of the case is molded so that each instrument has its own compartment. The entire interior is lined with purple velvet. The exterior of the lid has an oval escutcheon which is marked, "U.S.A./ Hosp. Dept." The set includes 45 instruments, three of which are not original to the set. At least six instruments are missing, including four knives and a bandage scissors.; During the Civil War the United States Army contracted with several surgical instrument makers, including Herman Hernstein to provide surgical sets for the Union troops.; As a young boy in Germany Hermann Hernstein was apprenticed to a surgical instrument maker. He came to the United States in 1841 and settled in New York City. Within a few years, he had established his own shop.; According to Edmonson much of Hernstein’s inventory was imported from Europe.
Description: Surgical kits were not required on merchant vessels, but the larger and better-equipped ships often carried them. These were used for everything from pulling teeth to the amputation of limbs, and everything in between. Like the medicine chests, these kits too were often sold with simple pamphlets, with instructions and diagrams on how to use them in emergencies. The captain or first mate most commonly carried out any needed procedures.

date made: 1862-1865

maker: Hermann Hernstein & Son

ID Number: 1977.1103.01
accession number: 1977.1103
catalog number: 1977.1103.01

This model was filed with the application to the U.S. Patent Office for Patent Number 39,756 issued to Hermann Shlarbaum of New York, New York on September 1, 1863. The patent was for an improvement in oscillating steam engines.

Description: This model was filed with the application to the U.S. Patent Office for Patent Number 39,756 issued to Hermann Shlarbaum of New York, New York on September 1, 1863. The patent was for an improvement in oscillating steam engines. An oscillating steam engine differs from a standard engine in that the steam cylinder is pivoted on the engine frame and oscillates back and forth about the pivot as its connecting rod operates the crankshaft of the engine. In a standard engine, the cylinder is fixed in orientation, and the piston rod moves fore and aft within a crosshead which allows the connecting rod to pivot independently as the crankshaft revolves.; Mr. Shlarbaum did not claim his overall design as new. Others had patented very similar designs. His claim was for the unique design of the steam and exhaust valves for the engine. The claimed benefits of this design included simplicity and economy of manufacture, operation and maintenance. The inventor also claimed that his design avoided having lubricating oil in the pivot being overheated by high pressure steam.; The patent model is constructed of cast iron and brass. All of the key elements of the patent are illustrated by the model to include the valve mechanism. A full description of the workings of the engine and diagrams showing the complete design of the patent can be found in the patent document online at the United States Patent and Trademark Office website, www.uspto.gov.

date made: ca 1863
patent date: 1863-09-01

inventor: Shlarbaum, Herrmann

ID Number: MC.251293
catalog number: 251293
patent number: 39,756
accession number: 48865

Floral, bird, and animal motifs were commonly used to decorate 19th century stoneware in the United States.

Description: Floral, bird, and animal motifs were commonly used to decorate 19th century stoneware in the United States. This jar, made by John Remmey III, features an incised and cobalt decorated fish.; Remmey pottery is often marked “Manhattan-Wells” referring to the firm’s location near the municipal water supply.
Location: Currently not on view

date made: 1791-ca 1831

maker: Remmey III, John

ID Number: CE.300894.007
accession number: 300894
catalog number: 300894.7; 300894.007

John Oldfield, Assistant Manager of the Garner Print Works in Garnerville, New York, kept a series of record books that date between 1844 and 1880.

Description: John Oldfield, Assistant Manager of the Garner Print Works in Garnerville, New York, kept a series of record books that date between 1844 and 1880. The notebooks contain samples of cloth produced by the mill on one page, with quantities and the costs of dyeing or printing on the facing page—this notebook covers the years 1877-1878. Garnerville was originally called Calicotown, but was renamed after the Garner family, which owned the print works from 1838 to 1909. In the late nineteenth century the family’s textile companies produced more printed fabrics than any other print works in the U.S.

date made: 1877-1878

ID Number: 1984.0486.06
catalog number: 1984.0486.06
accession number: 1984.0486

The Remmey family began producing pottery in New York City in 1735, when John Remmey I emigrated from Germany. His grandson, John Remmey III, took over the family business in 1793, continuing to produce some of the finest stoneware made in the United States at the time.

Description: The Remmey family began producing pottery in New York City in 1735, when John Remmey I emigrated from Germany. His grandson, John Remmey III, took over the family business in 1793, continuing to produce some of the finest stoneware made in the United States at the time. The somewhat lopsided incised leaf design on this jug reminds us that each piece was made and decorated by hand.
Location: Currently not on view

date made: 1791-1831

maker: Remmey III, John

ID Number: 1977.0803.105
accession number: 1977.0803
catalog number: 1977.0803.105

The Buckeye State was built at Shousetown, Pa., south of Pittsburgh. In 1849 the hull was completed and hauled up the Ohio River to Pittsburgh to be finished. Under the supervision of David Holmes, the Buckeye State was completed in February 1850.

Description: The Buckeye State was built at Shousetown, Pa., south of Pittsburgh. In 1849 the hull was completed and hauled up the Ohio River to Pittsburgh to be finished. Under the supervision of David Holmes, the Buckeye State was completed in February 1850. It was owned and operated by the Pittsburgh & Cincinnati Packet Line, which ran it regularly on the Ohio River between Cincinnati and Pittsburgh. The company owned six or seven steamers at a time, and ran daily departures between the two cities. By the mid-1840s the Pittsburgh & Cincinnati Packet Line was praised by a Pittsburgh newspaper editor as “the greatest convenience . . . ever afforded the citizens on the banks of the Upper Ohio.”; On May 1, 1850 the Buckeye State left Cincinnati for Pittsburgh and completed the trip in a record 43 hours. Under Capt. Sam Dean, the steamer made 24 stops along the route, needing coal once and wood three times. One hundred years later, the Buckeye State still held the record for the fastest trip ever made by a steamboat between Cincinnati and Pittsburgh.; In 1851, showman P. T. Barnum organized a race between the Buckeye State and the Messenger No. 2 as a publicity stunt to advertise Swedish opera singer Jenny Lind’s American tour. Steamboat racing was growing in popularity, and so a race was the perfect promotion. Although Lind and Barnum were aboard the Messenger No. 2, the Buckeye State won the race. The Buckeye State continued its service up and down the Ohio for six more years until it was retired and dismantled in 1857.

date made: 1963
construction completed on Buckeye State: 1850-02
Buckeye State retired: 1857
participated in a steamboat race: 1857

owned and operated by: Pittsburgh & Cincinnati Packet Line
supervised construction of Buckeye State: Holmes, David
captain of the Buckeye State: Dean, Sam
maker: Boucher-Lewis Precision Models, Inc.

ID Number: TR.322425
catalog number: 322425
accession number: 247839

Chamber pots were found in many homes in the United States before the advent of modern indoor plumbing. While some chamber pots were elaborately decorated, this example, made by Paul Cushman of Albany, New York, is strictly utilitarian.

Description: Chamber pots were found in many homes in the United States before the advent of modern indoor plumbing. While some chamber pots were elaborately decorated, this example, made by Paul Cushman of Albany, New York, is strictly utilitarian. The piece is incised only with the name of the potter.
Location: Currently not on view

date made: 1806-1833

maker: Cushman, Paul

ID Number: 1977.0803.50
accession number: 1977.0803
catalog number: 1977.0803.050

Thompson Harrington took over management of Nathan Clark’s Lyons, New York stoneware manufactory in 1852 when Clark left to establish new potteries elsewhere in western New York.

Description: Thompson Harrington took over management of Nathan Clark’s Lyons, New York stoneware manufactory in 1852 when Clark left to establish new potteries elsewhere in western New York. Located along the Erie Canal, the Lyons pottery flourished under Harrington and subsequent ownership until it closed in 1902.
Location: Currently not on view

date made: 1852-1872

maker: Harrington, Thompson

ID Number: 1977.0803.81
accession number: 1977.0803
catalog number: 1977.0803.81

Date made: 1885

maker: Edison, Thomas Alva

ID Number: EM.314919
catalog number: 314919
accession number: 212336

This model was submitted to the U.S. Patent Office with the application for the patent issued to Frederick E. Sickels, of New York, New York, February 24, 1852, no.

Description: This model was submitted to the U.S. Patent Office with the application for the patent issued to Frederick E. Sickels, of New York, New York, February 24, 1852, no. 8760.; This model represents a valve chest and drop cut-off valve of the Sickels type in which an adjustable cam operates the catch during the opening movement of the valve so that the valve may be released as near the beginning of the closing movement as is desired. In the earlier cut-offs the catch was operated by the closing movement alone, and the valve could not be tripped until sufficient closing movement had taken place to operate the whole extent of the catch.; Reference:; This description comes from the 1939 Catalog of the Mechanical Collections of the Division of Engineering United States Museum Bulletin 173 by Frank A. Taylor.
Location: Currently not on view

date made: 1852
patent date: 1852-02-24

inventor: Sickels, Frederick E.

ID Number: MC.308654
catalog number: 308654
accession number: 89797
patent number: 8,760

This model was submitted to the U.S. Patent Office with the application for the patent issued to Henry R. Worthington, of New York, New York, June 20, 1871, no.

Description: This model was submitted to the U.S. Patent Office with the application for the patent issued to Henry R. Worthington, of New York, New York, June 20, 1871, no. 116131.; The model is a relief panel showing a section through the two steam cylinders of a duplex pump arranged to use steam at boiler pressure in one steam cylinder of small diameter, expand the exhaust steam in a receiver of much larger volume than the small cylinder, and use the steam at low pressure in a second cylinder of larger diameter. This arrangement was devised to permit the use of steam expansively in a duplex pump without the use of two compound cylinders, as was formerly the method.; Reference:; This description comes from the 1939 Catalog of the Mechanical Collections of the Division of Engineering United States Museum Bulletin 173 by Frank A. Taylor.
Location: Currently not on view

date made: 1871
patent date: 1871-06-20

inventor: Worthington, Henry R.

ID Number: ER.308681
accession number: 89797
catalog number: 308681
patent number: 116,131

This model was submitted to the U.S. Patent Office with the application for the patent issued to Horatio Allen, of New York, New York, June 19, 1855, no. 13075.The model represents a conical plug valve, connected to a valve gear, which gives it two distinct motions.

Description: This model was submitted to the U.S. Patent Office with the application for the patent issued to Horatio Allen, of New York, New York, June 19, 1855, no. 13075.; The model represents a conical plug valve, connected to a valve gear, which gives it two distinct motions. The first motion is a slight one parallel with the axis of the cone and directed toward its larger end; the other is in a direction tending to rotate the valve. Because the valve and valve seat are conical, the first motion effects a very slight separation of the valve from its seat and permits the rotary motion to be given without friction upon those parts.; Reference:; This description comes from the 1939 Catalog of the Mechanical Collections of the Division of Engineering United States Museum Bulletin 173 by Frank A. Taylor.
Location: Currently not on view

date made: 1855
patent date: 1855-06-19

inventor: Allen, Horatio

ID Number: MC.308655
catalog number: 308655
accession number: 89797
patent number: 13,075

This model was submitted to the U.S. Patent Office with the application for the patent issued to George H. Starbuck, of Troy, New York, September 10, 1878, no.

Description: This model was submitted to the U.S. Patent Office with the application for the patent issued to George H. Starbuck, of Troy, New York, September 10, 1878, no. 207827.; This model represents a form of barometric condenser in which an annular jet of water is brought into contact with an annular jet of the steam to be condensed, and the resulting mixture is conducted from the condenser by a pipe extending 33 feet or more below it. The peculiar feature of this condenser is the bulbous valve, which fits within the water pipe and forms a variable annular water passage by which the quantity of water flowing can be adjusted while the shape of the annular jet of water, which is essential to the best operation of the condenser, is maintained unbroken.; Reference:; This description comes from the 1939 Catalog of the Mechanical Collections of the Division of Engineering United States Museum Bulletin 173 by Frank A. Taylor.
Location: Currently not on view

date made: 1878
patent date: 1878-09-10

ID Number: MC.309354
catalog number: 309354
accession number: 89797
patent number: 207,827

This knife could be described as the Mother of all Swiss Army knives.

Description: This knife could be described as the Mother of all Swiss Army knives. If you count the miniatures inside the tortoise shell handle covers, it has 100 “blades.” They include pocket knife blades of every style imaginable, a serrated blade, two dagger blades, several different types of shears and scissors, an auger, a corkscrew, two saws, a lancet, button hook, cigar cutter, tuning fork, pens and mechanical pencils, mirror, straight razor, and a functional .22-caliber five-shot pinfire revolver. The one modern convenience it doesn’t seem to have is a bottle opener, but the bottle cap as we know it wasn’t invented until 1892.; This knife wasn’t really meant to be carried. Knives like this were made exclusively for exhibition to highlight the cutlers’ art. They were so difficult to make they were only attempted by the most notable firms with the most talented artisans. They could be seen at various fairs and industrial expositions during the nineteenth century. This particular knife was made in Solingen, Germany about 1880 for J. S. Holler & Co.’s cutlery store in New York City. It was used it to display the fine craftsmanship available to their customers. At the time, German cutlery firms were attempting to establish themselves in the American market, which was dominated by the firms of Sheffield, England. The workmanship and complexity of this knife make it one of the finest examples of the cutlers’ art in America.
Location: Currently not on view

date made: ca 1880
associated dates: 1867-1906

owner: Holler, John S.

ID Number: 1986.0101.03
catalog number: 1986.0101.03
accession number: 1986.0101

This model was submitted to the U.S. Patent Office with the application for the patent issued to Thomas Richards, of Lansingburg, New York, May 22, 1866, no.

Description: This model was submitted to the U.S. Patent Office with the application for the patent issued to Thomas Richards, of Lansingburg, New York, May 22, 1866, no. 54959.; This model represents a slightly conical plug valve fitted within a conical valve housing, which is provided with eight equally spaced steam ports so arranged that diametrically opposite ports are connected together in pairs. The result is that the pressure on the valve due to the steam or exhaust pressure in each pair of ports is perfectly balanced.; Three adjoining ports in the valve housing are continued through the housing, which is provided at that point with a flat surface that permits the valve to be placed against the ordinary valve seat of a D-slide valve engine, the three ports registering with the steam passages to the ends of the cylinder and with the exhaust passage at the center of the seat. The valve is constructed with four equally spaced longitudinal recesses with four alternate bands. The valve is operated by rocking it a part of a turn in each direction from the center.; Reference:; This description comes from the 1939 Catalog of the Mechanical Collections of the Division of Engineering United States Museum Bulletin 173 by Frank A. Taylor.
Location: Currently not on view

date made: 1866
patent date: 1866-05-22

ID Number: ER.308676
accession number: 89797
catalog number: 308676
patent number: 54,959

Small metal model or example of a design for a spring clasp mechanism to securing an earring to the ear lobe.

Description (Brief): Small metal model or example of a design for a spring clasp mechanism to securing an earring to the ear lobe. The design specifications also allowed for and concave/convex discs to help the earring seat itself on the ear lobe or a pin on the disc incase the wearer had pierced ears (This model does not show the pin). The model also shows two eye hooks. One allowed for a dangle and the other allowed a chain and hair clip that would attach to the hair for security.
Location: Currently not on view

date made: ca 1876
patent date: 1877-03-13

inventor: Weed, Louisa A.

ID Number: AG.188323
catalog number: 188323
accession number: 89797
patent number: 188,323

This model was submitted to the U.S. Patent Office with the application for Patent no. 111088, issued to Alexander K. Rider, of New York, New York, January 17, 1871, reissued August 24, 188-, no.

Description: This model was submitted to the U.S. Patent Office with the application for Patent no. 111088, issued to Alexander K. Rider, of New York, New York, January 17, 1871, reissued August 24, 188-, no. 9353.; This engine consists of a power piston and a transfer piston so connected with valves and passages that the cold air is received and compressed in the same cylinder in which the hot air performs its work. Its simple construction is an improvement on the John Ericsson hot-air engines of 1855-1858.; A vertical cylinder contains two independent pistons with suitable valves that permit cold air to be drawn into the cylinder, compressed, circulated between heated furnace walls, expanded under a power piston and then exhausted. The upper piston is equipped with two spring-closed intake valves that open on the upstroke of the piston allowing air to fill the cylinder between the upper and lower pistons. This air is then compressed on the downstroke of the upper piston until the pressure is sufficient to open a valve in a passage leading to a heated space surrounding the furnace. The heated and compressed air then passes into the cylinder below the lower piston where it expands, performing work against the piston.; Reference:; This description comes from the 1939 Catalog of the Mechanical Collections of the Division of Engineering United States Museum Bulletin 173 by Frank A. Taylor.
Location: Currently not on view

date made: 1871
patent date: 1871-01-17

inventor: Rider, Alexander K.

ID Number: ER.308714
accession number: 89797
catalog number: 308714
patent number: 111,088

This model formed part of the application to the U.S. Patent Office for the patent issued to William Mont Storm on July 11, 1865, no.

Description: This model formed part of the application to the U.S. Patent Office for the patent issued to William Mont Storm on July 11, 1865, no. 48777.; This is a 3-cylinder engine of a radial type, designed to produce rotary motion with compactness and simplicity.; The engine consists of two horizontal, opposed, single-acting cylinders and one vertical double-acting cylinder. The pistons of the horizontal cylinders are extended and joined to form a slotted crosshead in which one crank of the crankshaft moves. The piston in the vertical cylinder has a much shorter stroke and the piston rod from it extends to a second cross head and crank. D-slide valves are operated by a very small crank at the end of the crankshaft, in a valve chest located at the center of the engine. The engine is reversible.; Reference:; This description comes from the 1939 Catalog of the Mechanical Collections of the Division of Engineering United States Museum Bulletin 173 by Frank A. Taylor.
Location: Currently not on view

date made: 1865
patent date: 1865-07-11

inventor: Storm, William Mont

ID Number: MC.309195
catalog number: 309195
accession number: 89797
patent number: 48,777

This model was filed with the application to the U.S. Patent Office for Patent Number 20,894 issued to Charles T. Porter of New York, New York on July 13, 1858. The patent was for an improvement in controlling the speed of a steam engine by use of a fly ball governor.

Description: This model was filed with the application to the U.S. Patent Office for Patent Number 20,894 issued to Charles T. Porter of New York, New York on July 13, 1858. The patent was for an improvement in controlling the speed of a steam engine by use of a fly ball governor. This design was one of the earliest weighted fly ball governors. It differed from the common fly ball governor in that the balls were of very light weight, and the governor was intended to be operated at much higher speeds of rotation. The governor included gearing that rotated the fly balls at approximately ten times the speed of the engine's rotation. The design did not suffer from the increased friction of heavy fly balls which would reduce responsiveness. The inventor claimed the advantages of his design were more sensitive and rapid responses to small changes in engine speed. The Porter governor design was used in the Porter-Allen engine introduced about 1867, and the weighted fly ball principle was widely used from then on.; The patent model is constructed of cast iron and steel. All of the key elements of the patent are illustrated by the model. It includes a hand crank to permit demonstration of actual operation. A full description of the workings of the governor and diagrams showing the complete design of the patent can be found in the patent document online at the United States Patent and Trademark Office website, www.uspto.gov.

date made: 1858
patent date: 1858-07-13

inventor: Porter, Charles T.

ID Number: MC.251289
catalog number: 251289
accession number: 48865
patent number: 20,894

date made: 1855
patent date: 1855-07-31

inventor: Ericsson, John

ID Number: MC.251279
catalog number: 251279
accession number: 48865
patent number: 13,348

Made by William Lundy in Troy, New York, the unusual decoration on this jug features two American flags and an anchor. An Irish immigrant, Lundy worked at a number of Troy potteries in the 1820s.Currently not on view

Description: Made by William Lundy in Troy, New York, the unusual decoration on this jug features two American flags and an anchor. An Irish immigrant, Lundy worked at a number of Troy potteries in the 1820s.
Location: Currently not on view

date made: about 1826

maker: Lundy, William; Church, Jr., Nathan

ID Number: 1977.0803.139
accession number: 1977.0803
catalog number: 1977.0803.139

Industry & Manufacturing

Lighthall Half-Beam Marine Engine, Patent Model

Stoneware Jar

Rotary electric light switch

Ship's Surgical Kit

Shlarbaum’s Patent Model of an Oscillating Steam Engine– ca 1863

Stoneware jar

Garner Print Works Sample and Cost Record Book

Stoneware jug

Ship Model, Steamboat Buckeye State

Stoneware chamber pot

Stoneware cooler

Edison underground power conductor

Sickels Tripping Cut-Off Valve, Patent Model

Worthington Duplex Steam Pump, Patent Model

Allen Two-Motion Cone-Valve, Patent Model

Starbuck Siphon Condenser, Patent Model

Multiblade Folding Knife

Richards Balanced Valve, Patent Model

Patent Model for the Improvement in Ear-Rings

Rider Hot-Air Engine, Patent Model

William Mont Storm Engine, Patent Model

Porter’s Patent Model of a Steam Engine Governor – ca 1858

Model of John Ericsson Air Engine, U.S. Patent No. 13348

Stoneware jug