Industry & Manufacturing

Eli Terry Mass-Produced Clock

The Museum's collections document centuries of remarkable changes in products, manufacturing processes, and the role of industry in American life. In the bargain, they preserve artifacts of great ingenuity, intricacy, and sometimes beauty.

The carding and spinning machinery built by Samuel Slater about 1790 helped establish the New England textile industry. Nylon-manufacturing machinery in the collections helped remake the same industry more than a century later. Machine tools from the 1850s are joined by a machine that produces computer chips. Thousands of patent models document the creativity of American innovators over more than 200 years.

The collections reach far beyond tools and machines. Some 460 episodes of the television series Industry on Parade celebrate American industry in the 1950s. Numerous photographic collections are a reminder of the scale and even the glamour of American industry.

Date: 1850s

Franklin Pierce Campaign Medal

This campaign medal was made by the Scovill Manufacturing Company of Waterbury, Connecticut around 1852. The Scovill Company was established in 1802 as a button manufacturer that is still in business today.
Description (Brief)
This campaign medal was made by the Scovill Manufacturing Company of Waterbury, Connecticut around 1852. The Scovill Company was established in 1802 as a button manufacturer that is still in business today. Scovill was an early industrial American innovator, adapting armory manufacturing processes to mass-produce a variety of consumer goods including buttons, daguerreotype mats, and campaign medals.
Obverse: Bust of Franklin Pierce facing left. Legend: GENERAL. F. PIERCE.
Reverse: Plaque surrounded by four flags and an eagle perched on top. The plaque reads: OUR COUNTRY RIGHT OR WRONG. The legend around the rim reads: UNITED WE STAND, DIVIDED WE FALL.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1852
depicted
Pierce, Franklin
maker
Scovill Manufacturing Company
ID Number
1981.0296.1213
accession number
1981.0296
catalog number
1981.0296.1213

Winfield Scott Medal

This medal was made by the Scovill Manufacturing Company of Waterbury, Connecticut around 1852. The Scovill Company was established in 1802 as a button manufacturer that is still in business today.
Description (Brief)
This medal was made by the Scovill Manufacturing Company of Waterbury, Connecticut around 1852. The Scovill Company was established in 1802 as a button manufacturer that is still in business today. Scovill was an early industrial American innovator, adapting armory manufacturing processes to mass-produce a variety of consumer goods including buttons, daguerreotype mats, and campaign medals. This medal has a hole at the top so that it could be strung and worn.
Obverse: Bust of Winfield Scott facing left. The legend reads: MAJ. GENERAL WINFIELD SCOTT.
Reverse: Legend reads: CHIPPEWA/ LUNDYS LANE/ CERRO GORDO /CONTRERAS/ CHURUBUSCO/ CHAPULTEPEC /MEXICO.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1852
depicted
Scott, Winfield
maker
Scovill Manufacturing Company
ID Number
1981.0296.1194
accession number
1981.0296
catalog number
1981.0296.1194

Franklin Pierce Campaign Medal

This campaign medal was made by the Scovill Manufacturing Company of Waterbury, Connecticut around 1852. The Scovill Company was established in 1802 as a button manufacturer that is still in business today.
Description (Brief)
This campaign medal was made by the Scovill Manufacturing Company of Waterbury, Connecticut around 1852. The Scovill Company was established in 1802 as a button manufacturer that is still in business today. Scovill was an early industrial American innovator, adapting armory manufacturing processes to mass-produce a variety of consumer goods including campaign medals. The medal is holed in the top so it could be worn.
Obverse: Bust of Franklin Pierce facing right. Legend reads: GEN FRANK PIERCE THE STATESMAN & SOLDIER.
Reverse: Legend reads: FOR PRESIDENT GEN. FRANK PIERCE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE, FOR VICE PRESIDENT WILLIAM R. KING OF ALABAMA.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1852
depicted
Pierce, Franklin
referenced
King, William Rufus Devane
maker
Scovill Manufacturing Company
ID Number
1981.0296.1146
accession number
1981.0296
catalog number
1981.0296.1146

Professor Johnson Advertising Token

The Scovill Manufacturing Company of Waterbury, Connecticut produced this transportation token around 1852. The Scovill Company was established in 1802 as a button manufacturer and is still in business today.
Description (Brief)
The Scovill Manufacturing Company of Waterbury, Connecticut produced this transportation token around 1852. The Scovill Company was established in 1802 as a button manufacturer and is still in business today. Scovill was an early industrial American innovator, adapting armory manufacturing processes to mass-produce a variety of consumer goods including buttons, daguerreotype mats, medals, coins, and transportation tokens.
Obverse: Bust of Lady Liberty facing left. The legend reads: PROFESSOR JOHNSON 317 BOWERY/ 1852.
Reverse: Image of an eagle with shield, gripping arrows in one talon and an olive branch in the other. The legend reads: UNITED STATES/ STARCH POLISH.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1852
maker
Scovill Manufacturing Company
ID Number
1981.0296.1489
accession number
1981.0296
catalog number
1981.0296.1489

John C. Frémont Medal

This campaign medal was made by the Scovill Manufacturing Company of Waterbury, Connecticut around 1856. The Scovill Company was established in 1802 as a button manufacturer that is still in business today.
Description (Brief)
This campaign medal was made by the Scovill Manufacturing Company of Waterbury, Connecticut around 1856. The Scovill Company was established in 1802 as a button manufacturer that is still in business today. Scovill was an early industrial American innovator, adapting armory manufacturing processes to mass-produce a variety of consumer goods including campaign medals. John Frémont was the first Republican candidate for President in 1856.
Obverse: Bust of John C. Frémont facing left. Legend: J. C. FREMONT BORN JAN 21 1813.
Reverse: Open-winged eagle perched on a globe, reads “Our Country” around the top and 13 stars around the lower portion.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1856
depicted
Fremont, John Charles
maker
Scovill Manufacturing Company
ID Number
1981.0296.1148
accession number
1981.0296
catalog number
1981.0296.1148

Winfield Scott Campaign Medal

This presidential campaign medal was made by the Scovill Manufacturing Company of Waterbury, Connecticut around 1852. The Scovill Company was established in 1802 as a button manufacturer and is still in business today.
Description (Brief)
This presidential campaign medal was made by the Scovill Manufacturing Company of Waterbury, Connecticut around 1852. The Scovill Company was established in 1802 as a button manufacturer and is still in business today. Scovill was an early industrial American innovator, adapting armory manufacturing processes to mass-produce a variety of consumer goods including buttons, daguerreotype mats, and campaign medals. This medal has a hole at the top so that it could be strung and worn.
Obverse: Bust of Winfield Scott facing left. Legend reads: MAJOR GEN: WIN: SCOTT.
Reverse: Legend reads: LUNDYS LANE/VERA CRUZ/CERRO GORDO / CHURUBUSCO/ CONTRERAS /CITY of MEXICO.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1852
depicted
Scott, Winfield
maker
Scovill Manufacturing Company
ID Number
1981.0296.1226
accession number
1981.0296
catalog number
1981.0296.1226

John C. Frémont Campaign Medal

This campaign medal was made by the Scovill Manufacturing Company of Waterbury, Connecticut around 1856. The Scovill Company was established in 1802 as a button manufacturer that is still in business today.
Description (Brief)
This campaign medal was made by the Scovill Manufacturing Company of Waterbury, Connecticut around 1856. The Scovill Company was established in 1802 as a button manufacturer that is still in business today. Scovill was an early industrial American innovator, adapting armory manufacturing processes to mass-produce a variety of consumer goods including buttons, daguerreotype mats, and campaign medals.
Obverse: Bust of John C. Frémont facing right. Legend reads: JOHN. C. FREMONT. FREE SOIL & FREE SPEECH.
Reverse: Image of eagle with shield, holding a laurel branch and three arrows in its talons. Legend reads: WM. L. DAYTON FREE SPEECH. FREE MEN.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1856
depicted
Fremont, John Charles
referenced
Dayton, William L.
maker
Scovill Manufacturing Company
ID Number
1981.0296.1149
accession number
1981.0296
catalog number
1981.0296.1149

Presidential Memorial Medal

This memorial medal was made by the Scovill Manufacturing Company of Waterbury, Connecticut during the 1840s. The Scovill Company was established in 1802 as a button manufacturer and is still in business today.
Description (Brief)
This memorial medal was made by the Scovill Manufacturing Company of Waterbury, Connecticut during the 1840s. The Scovill Company was established in 1802 as a button manufacturer and is still in business today. Scovill was an early industrial American innovator, adapting armory manufacturing processes to mass-produce a variety of consumer goods including commemorative medals.
Obverse: Bust portraits of Presidents, with labels: GEORGE WASHINGTON/ JOHN ADAMS/ THOMAS JEFFERSON/ JAMES MADISON/ JAMES MONROE/ JOHN QUINCY ADAMS/ ANDREW JACKSON/ MARTIN VAN BUREN.
Reverse: Two branches wreath rim. The central legend reads: FIRST PRESIDENT/ GEORGE WASHINGTON./ SECOND/ JOHN ADAMS./ THIRD/ THOMAS JEFFERSON./ FOURTH/ JAMES MADISON./ FIFTH/ JAMES MONROE./ SIXTH/ JOHN QUINCY ADAMS./ SEVENTH/ ANDREW JACKSONS./ EIGHTH/ MARTIN VAN BUREN.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1840
depicted
Washington, George
Adams, John
Jefferson, Thomas
Madison, James
Monroe, James
Adams, John Quincy
Jackson, Andrew
Van Buren, Martin
maker
Scovill Manufacturing Company
ID Number
1981.0296.1240
accession number
1981.0296
catalog number
1981.0296.1240

Winfield Scott Medal

This medal was made by the Scovill Manufacturing Company of Waterbury, Connecticut around 1852.The Scovill Company was established in 1802 as a button manufacturer and is still in business today.
Description (Brief)
This medal was made by the Scovill Manufacturing Company of Waterbury, Connecticut around 1852.The Scovill Company was established in 1802 as a button manufacturer and is still in business today. Scovill was an early industrial American innovator, adapting armory manufacturing processes to mass-produce a variety of consumer goods including buttons, daguerreotype mats, and campaign medals.
Obverse: Bust of Winfield Scott in military regalia facing left. The legend reads: MAJ. GEN. WINFIELD SCOTT, U.S.A.
Reverse: Image of Winfield Scott wounded, laying on the ground, surrounded by soldiers. The legend reads: SCOTT WOUNDED. LUNDY'S LANE.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1852
depicted
Scott, Winfield
maker
Scovill Manufacturing Company
ID Number
1981.0296.1306
accession number
1981.0296
catalog number
1981.0296.1306

Miller Rotary Steam Engine, Patent Model

This model was submitted to the U.S. Patent Office with the application for the patent issued to Charles Miller, of Belleville, Illinois, May 3, 1859, no. 23852.The engine has two oval pistons or cams each running in a separate circular cylinder or casing.
Description
This model was submitted to the U.S. Patent Office with the application for the patent issued to Charles Miller, of Belleville, Illinois, May 3, 1859, no. 23852.
The engine has two oval pistons or cams each running in a separate circular cylinder or casing. Sliding abutments in the casing bearing on the edges of the cams direct the steam in the forward direction around the casing. Admission of steam is controlled by two flat slide valves working in steam chests on top of the casing. The valves are operated by two eccentrics on the engine shaft. 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
1859
patent date
1859-05-03
inventor
Miller, Charles
ID Number
ER.251294
accession number
48865
catalog number
251294
patent number
23,852

Patent Model of a Platen Printing Press

This patent model demonstrates an invention for a platen printing press which was granted patent number 18812. Called the Magic Card Press, it is a self-inking platen press with automatic card dropper and an ink drum below the type bed.Currently not on view
Description (Brief)
This patent model demonstrates an invention for a platen printing press which was granted patent number 18812. Called the Magic Card Press, it is a self-inking platen press with automatic card dropper and an ink drum below the type bed.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1857
patent date
1857-12-08
patentee
Hawkes, Charles W.
ID Number
GA.89797.018812
accession number
89797
patent number
018812
catalog number
GA*89797.018812

Patent Model of a Stereotype Pan

This patent model demonstrates an invention for a stereotype pan for casting metal plates from plaster of Paris molds; the invention was granted patent number 10704.Currently not on view
Description (Brief)
This patent model demonstrates an invention for a stereotype pan for casting metal plates from plaster of Paris molds; the invention was granted patent number 10704.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1854
patent date
1854-03-28
maker
Mott, Richard D.
ID Number
GA.89797.010704
accession number
089797
patent number
010704
catalog number
GA*89797.010704

Patent Model for a Bed-and-Platen Press

This patent model demonstrates an invention for a bed-and-platen machine, in which the paper and inking rollers were carried on endless chains; the invention was granted number 16221.Currently not on view
Description (Brief)
This patent model demonstrates an invention for a bed-and-platen machine, in which the paper and inking rollers were carried on endless chains; the invention was granted number 16221.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1856
patent date
1856-12-09
maker
Sargent, Charles G.
Keach, Abram
ID Number
GA.89797.016221
patent number
016221
accession number
089797
catalog number
GA*89797.016221

Stoneware jug

Israel Seymour operated a pottery in Troy, New York from about 1809 to 1865.
Description
Israel Seymour operated a pottery in Troy, New York from about 1809 to 1865. This beautifully formed jug is a fine example of much of the stoneware made by New York potters--simple utilitarian pieces, without adornment, that met the needs of the people who used them.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1824-1850
maker
Seymour, Israel
ID Number
CE.319884.79
catalog number
319884.079
accession number
319884

Patent Model for Flatbed Cylinder Web Press

This patent model demonstrates an invention for a web-fed cylinder press, printing on both strokes of the bed; the web of paper was fed intermittently to match the printing motion, then rewound on a receiving cylinder at the other end of the machine.
Description (Brief)
This patent model demonstrates an invention for a web-fed cylinder press, printing on both strokes of the bed; the web of paper was fed intermittently to match the printing motion, then rewound on a receiving cylinder at the other end of the machine. The invention was granted patent number 9993.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1853
patent date
1853-09-06
maker
Montague, Charles
ID Number
GA.11018
catalog number
GA*11018
patent number
009993
accession number
48865

Ship Model, Steamboat Buckeye State

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

Hand printing press

This patent model demonstrates an invention for a lever press using a combination of course and fine screws, the first to lower the platen fast, and the second to produce greater power at the end of the pull.
Description (Brief)
This patent model demonstrates an invention for a lever press using a combination of course and fine screws, the first to lower the platen fast, and the second to produce greater power at the end of the pull. It also included inclined ways or tracks, so the bed was raised as it was drawn under the platen. The invention was granted patent number 23951.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1859
patent date
1859-05-10
maker
Ruggles, Stephen P.
ID Number
GA.11020
catalog number
GA*11020
patent number
023951
accession number
48865

Frick Feed-Water Apparatus, Patent Model

This model was submitted to the U.S. Patent Office with the application for the patent issued to Jacob Frick, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, December 14, 1858, no. 22284. It is an improvement on the patent issued to Frick, March 18, 1856, no.
Description
This model was submitted to the U.S. Patent Office with the application for the patent issued to Jacob Frick, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, December 14, 1858, no. 22284. It is an improvement on the patent issued to Frick, March 18, 1856, no. 14449.
The model represents a combination of an air chamber, a safety valve, feed-water and blow-off cocks, a feed-water failure alarm, and a water jet just for extinguishing fires, all arranged in one instrument so that all can be secured to the boiler by one attachment only, thereby avoiding the necessity of piercing and “wounding” the boiler in several places.
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
1858
patent date
1858-12-14
inventor
Frick, Jacob
ID Number
ER.308661
accession number
89797
catalog number
308661
patent number
22,284

Patent Model of a Plate Printing Press

This patent model demonstrates an invention for a flatbed cylinder press, with a steam heating system and improved plate-wiping mechanism; the invention was granted patent number 16952.Currently not on view
Description (Brief)
This patent model demonstrates an invention for a flatbed cylinder press, with a steam heating system and improved plate-wiping mechanism; the invention was granted patent number 16952.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1857
patent date
1857-03-31
maker
Stewart, Linus
McClelland, John
ID Number
GA.89797.016952
patent number
016952
accession number
089797
catalog number
GA*89797.016952

Patent Model for a Platen Printing Press

This patent model demonstrates an invention for a platen printing press which was granted patent number 10588. This platen jobber was manufactured under the name, “Ruggles's Combination Job Press.”Currently not on view
Description (Brief)
This patent model demonstrates an invention for a platen printing press which was granted patent number 10588. This platen jobber was manufactured under the name, “Ruggles's Combination Job Press.”
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1854
patent date
1854-02-28
maker
Ruggles, Stephen P.
ID Number
GA.24907
patent number
010588
accession number
1978.1070
catalog number
GA*24907

Patent Model for a Self-Inking Platen Press

This patent model demonstrates an invention for a self-inking platen printing press which was granted patent number 9925. Four or more platens rotated intermittently around a single axis. The bed was rocked, clamshell fashion, against each platen in turn.
Description (Brief)
This patent model demonstrates an invention for a self-inking platen printing press which was granted patent number 9925. Four or more platens rotated intermittently around a single axis. The bed was rocked, clamshell fashion, against each platen in turn. Sheets of paper were fed to grippers on the uppermost platen, printed when that platen turned to the vertical, and then dropped to a pile beneath the press when the platen went to the bottom position.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1853
patent date
1853-08-09
maker
Northrup, Joel G.
ID Number
GA.89797.009925
patent number
009925
accession number
89797
catalog number
GA*89797.009925

Patent Model for a Flatbed Cylinder Press

This patent model demonstrates an invention for a stop cylinder press with inking apparatus and sheet fly; the invention was granted patent number 9408.Currently not on view
Description (Brief)
This patent model demonstrates an invention for a stop cylinder press with inking apparatus and sheet fly; the invention was granted patent number 9408.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1852
patent date
1852-11-16
maker
Northrup, Joel G.
ID Number
GA.89797.009408
patent number
009408
accession number
089797
catalog number
GA*89797.009408

Patent Model for a Flatbed Cylinder Printing Press

This patent model demonstrates an invention for a flatbed cylinder printing press which was granted patent number 18744. The small hand-cranked cylinder press included a movable feed table. Paper was fed not to the cylinder but to a flat frisket.
Description (Brief)
This patent model demonstrates an invention for a flatbed cylinder printing press which was granted patent number 18744. The small hand-cranked cylinder press included a movable feed table. Paper was fed not to the cylinder but to a flat frisket. After printing, the frisket flipped up to drop the sheet on the delivery board. Inking was by hand.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1857
patent date
1857-12-01
patentee
Henry, John
ID Number
GA.89797.018744
accession number
089797
patent number
018744
catalog number
GA*89797.018744

Chinese porcelain footed bowl

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1821-1850
ID Number
CE.P-478
catalog number
P-478
accession number
225282

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