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.

Limoges porcelain cup and saucer

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1880s
ID Number
CE.P-107ab
catalog number
P-107ab
accession number
225282

Multicolored Shell Button with Cross and Line Design Carvings

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
ID Number
1962.239460.03323
accession number
239460
catalog number
239460.03323

Elgin Wristwatch

Wristwatches are relative newcomers among timekeepers. Although no one knows precisely when or where they first appeared, it is likely that the modern wristwatch dates from around 1880.
Description
Wristwatches are relative newcomers among timekeepers. Although no one knows precisely when or where they first appeared, it is likely that the modern wristwatch dates from around 1880. About that time, fashionable women in England and Europe began to wear small watches set in leather bands around their wrists, especially for outdoor activities like hunting, horseback riding and, later, bicycling. Men, for the most part, did not wear wristwatches then. They considered them feminine jewelry.
The Swiss pioneered wristwatch manufacturing, with American firms entering the business only in the second decade of the 20th century. This example – made by the Elgin National Watch Company of Elgin, Illinois, in 1917 just before America entered World War I – features a small mechanical movement with seven jewels. Over the dial is a metal grill to protect the crystal while still permitting a quick read of the time. Such grills acquired the nickname "shrapnel guard" during the war, when wristwatches increased in popularity with men.
The practicality of having time at a glance, the feature that attracted active women to the style in the first place, changed military men's minds about wristwatches. As soldiers entered World War I, they experimented with fastening pocket watches to their sleeves or their legs. As the war progressed, the wristwatch became ubiquitous among male soldiers of all branches of the armed forces and female nurses who cared for the wounded. European manufacturers reportedly worked overtime to convert existing women's watches into military timepieces to meet the demand.
This Elgin wristwatch looks much like today's. But when wristwatches first appeared, it wasn't at all clear what they should look like or how people should wear them. The location of the winding stem, or crown, was particularly puzzling. Some early wristwatches placed the crown in line with 3:00 on the dial, others at 9:00. Also unclear was how the watch dial should be oriented on the strap. Should 12:00 and 6:00 line up with the strap or at a right angle to it? By the 1910s, the position of the crown and the orientation on the strap, for the most part, conformed to the style we know today.
In addition to a variety of appearances, the earliest versions of the newfangled timekeeper had a variety of names. Early advertisements called it "wrist strap watch" or just "strap watch" for men and "watch bracelet," "bracelet watch," "wristlet watch" or simply "wristlet" for women. After World War I, watch manufacturers tried to negate the wristwatch's feminine image by advertising that reassured men of the wristwatch's sturdy masculinity. But even as late as 1943, wristwatches were still called "bracelet watches" or "wristlets," recalling feminine jewelry.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1917
manufacturer
Elgin National Watch Co.
ID Number
ME.333963
catalog number
333963
accession number
304914

Black Faceted Button with Places for Five Rhinestones, Two Remaining

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
ID Number
1962.239460.03916
accession number
239460
catalog number
239460.03916

Pressed Clear Glass Button with Floral Pattern Highlighted by Gold

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
ID Number
1962.239460.01376
accession number
239460
catalog number
239460.01376

Tapered Roller Bearing

This is a tapered roller bearing manufactured by the Timken Roller Bearing Company of Canton, Ohio around 1950.
Description
This is a tapered roller bearing manufactured by the Timken Roller Bearing Company of Canton, Ohio around 1950. The bearing bears the serial number “A-5075.” Roller bearings can support heavier loads than ball bearings due to their larger surface area, and are made to carry very heavy axial loads as well as heavy radial loads. Tapered roller bearings are usually mounted in pairs around a shaft so the bearings can work in tandem to carry the load. The Anti-Friction Bearing Manufacturers Association collected bearings for a public relations exhibit during the early 1950s, and donated them to the museum in 1977.
Simple bearings have been used for thousands of years reducing friction on turning parts like the axles of carts. In the late 1800s and early 1900s advances in machining and production expanded bearing use in all types of machines greatly increasing their life and precision. Bearings reduce friction on turning surfaces and keep them running true. Bearings come in a variety of shapes and sizes (including ball, roller, tapered, and simple friction). Modern bearings are often set in an inner and outer ring (called a race) sometimes with cages (separators) spacing the bearings. Changes to the size, shape, alignment, race, and cage allow for bearings to be used in almost any industry—from industrial turbines and automobiles to household mixers and computer hard drives.
Location
Currently not on view
ID Number
MC.336102.07
catalog number
336102.07
accession number
1977.0585

Shell Button Painted with Orange, Green, and Brown Design

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
ID Number
1962.239460.03316
accession number
239460
catalog number
239460.03316

Patent Model of a Platen Printing Press

This patent model demonstrates an invention for a platen printing press which was granted patent number 203335. Patentee Edward Gilman's simple treadle press was intended for job printers and amateurs. The rotating ink disk was on a plane with the type.
Description (Brief)
This patent model demonstrates an invention for a platen printing press which was granted patent number 203335. Patentee Edward Gilman's simple treadle press was intended for job printers and amateurs. The rotating ink disk was on a plane with the type. The platen with paper was brought down against the type by a direct connection with the treadle.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1878
patent date
1878-05-07
maker
Gilman, Edward L.
ID Number
GA.89797.203335
patent number
203335
accession number
089797
catalog number
GA*89797.203335

Metal Button Depicting an Asian Woman with a Parasol and Fan

Metal button of the bust of a woman in asian dress carrying a fan and parasol. Parasol acts as background to the round buttonCurrently not on view
Description (Brief)
Metal button of the bust of a woman in asian dress carrying a fan and parasol. Parasol acts as background to the round button
Location
Currently not on view
ID Number
1962.239460.01386
accession number
239460
catalog number
239460.01386

Ball Bearing

Svenska Kullagerfabriken (Swedish Ball Bearing Factory, SKF) manufactured this large thin-ring ball bearing around 1950.
Description
Svenska Kullagerfabriken (Swedish Ball Bearing Factory, SKF) manufactured this large thin-ring ball bearing around 1950. Thin-ring bearings are those when the inner diameter is close in size to the outer diameter, which limits the bearing’s load but reduces the size and weight of the bearing. This bearing is inscribed “GCI I-71007.” The Anti-Friction Bearing Manufacturers Association collected bearings for a public relations exhibit during the early 1950s, and donated them to the museum in 1977.
Simple bearings have been used for thousands of years reducing friction on turning parts like the axles of carts. In the late 1800s and early 1900s advances in machining and production expanded bearing use in all types of machines greatly increasing their life and precision. Bearings reduce friction on turning surfaces and keep them running true. Bearings come in a variety of shapes and sizes (including ball, roller, tapered, and simple friction). Modern bearings are often set in an inner and outer ring (called a race) sometimes with cages (separators) spacing the bearings. Changes to the size, shape, alignment, race, and cage allow for bearings to be used in almost any industry—from industrial turbines and automobiles to household mixers and computer hard drives.
Location
Currently not on view
ID Number
MC.336099.36
catalog number
336099.36
accession number
1977.0585

Ball Bearing

New Departure of Bristol, Connecticut manufactured this caged seven-ball bearing around 1950.
Description
New Departure of Bristol, Connecticut manufactured this caged seven-ball bearing around 1950. The Anti-Friction Bearing Manufacturers Association collected bearings for a public relations exhibit during the early 1950s, and donated them to the museum in 1977.
Simple bearings have been used for thousands of years reducing friction on turning parts like the axles of carts. In the late 1800s and early 1900s advances in machining and production expanded bearing use in all types of machines greatly increasing their life and precision. Bearings reduce friction on turning surfaces and keep them running true. Bearings come in a variety of shapes and sizes (including ball, roller, tapered, and simple friction). Modern bearings are often set in an inner and outer ring (called a race) sometimes with cages (separators) spacing the bearings. Changes to the size, shape, alignment, race, and cage allow for bearings to be used in almost any industry—from industrial turbines and automobiles to household mixers and computer hard drives.
Location
Currently not on view
ID Number
MC.336099.22
accession number
1977.0585
catalog number
336099.22

Paperweight Display Containing a Victorian, Thread Back Button

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
ID Number
1962.239460.03786
accession number
239460
catalog number
239460.03786

Rhinestone Button

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
ID Number
1962.239460.01503
accession number
239460
catalog number
239460.01503

Black Glass Button with Floral Designs

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
ID Number
1962.239460.01699
accession number
239460
catalog number
239460.01699

Bow octagonal soup plate

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
c.1755
ID Number
CE.P-423
catalog number
P-423
accession number
225282

Miner's Carbide Lamp

This is an Auto-Lite Carbide Mining Lamp, produced by the Universal Lamp Company of Chicago, Illinois, around 1920. This brand was among the most popular and dependable mining lamps of the early 20th century. After acquiring Shanklin Mfg. Co.
Description (Brief)
This is an Auto-Lite Carbide Mining Lamp, produced by the Universal Lamp Company of Chicago, Illinois, around 1920. This brand was among the most popular and dependable mining lamps of the early 20th century. After acquiring Shanklin Mfg. Co. and its "Guy's Dropper" brand, the Universal Lamp Company produced two of the three largest lighting brands to survive past World War II.
Location
Currently not on view
ID Number
AG.MHI-MI-1074
catalog number
MHI-MI-1074
accession number
310664

Horse Bridle Button with Image of Native American

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
ID Number
1960.233749.0918
accession number
233749
catalog number
233749.0918

Cutaway Bearing

The Fafnir Bearing Company of New Britain, Connecticut manufactured this cutaway ball bearing around 1950. The ball bearing is inscribed with the serial number “204PP” and has a section cutaway to reveal the bearing’s inner workings.
Description
The Fafnir Bearing Company of New Britain, Connecticut manufactured this cutaway ball bearing around 1950. The ball bearing is inscribed with the serial number “204PP” and has a section cutaway to reveal the bearing’s inner workings. The Anti-Friction Bearing Manufacturers Association collected bearings for a public relations exhibit during the early 1950s, and donated them to the museum in 1977.
Simple bearings have been used for thousands of years reducing friction on turning parts like the axles of carts. In the late 1800s and early 1900s advances in machining and production expanded bearing use in all types of machines greatly increasing their life and precision. Bearings reduce friction on turning surfaces and keep them running true. Bearings come in a variety of shapes and sizes (including ball, roller, tapered, and simple friction). Modern bearings are often set in an inner and outer ring (called a race) sometimes with cages (separators) spacing the bearings. Changes to the size, shape, alignment, race, and cage allow for bearings to be used in almost any industry—from industrial turbines and automobiles to household mixers and computer hard drives.
Location
Currently not on view
ID Number
MC.336108.05
catalog number
336108.05
accession number
1977.0585

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

Black Glass Button with a Flower Made from Faceted Pieces on a Petal Shaped Background

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
ID Number
1962.239460.03528
accession number
239460
catalog number
239460.03528

White Button with Silver Soda Float Charm Applied to Center

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
ID Number
1960.233749.1047
accession number
233749
catalog number
233749.1047

Brown Glass Ball Button Decorated with Yellow, Green, Blue, White, and Red Spots

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
ID Number
1962.239460.01666
accession number
239460
catalog number
239460.01666

Miner's Electric Cap Lamp

This Model "K" lamp was manufactured in 1931 by the Edison Storage Battery Company. The Edison Cap Lamp consisted of a battery encased in a self-locking steel case worn on the miner’s belt.
Description (Brief)
This Model "K" lamp was manufactured in 1931 by the Edison Storage Battery Company. The Edison Cap Lamp consisted of a battery encased in a self-locking steel case worn on the miner’s belt. A flexible cord traveled to the cap lamp, and its entrance into the battery was protected by a flexible steel cover. The battery could power the six-candlepower lamps for 12 hours and was recharged at the end of a miner’s shift.
Location
Currently not on view
ID Number
AG.MHI-MN-8948
accession number
236603
catalog number
MHI-MN-8948

Pearl Button with Decorative Metal Rim

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
ID Number
1962.239460.03724
accession number
239460
catalog number
239460.03724

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