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: 1900s

Foxy Grandpa

Bookmark die-cut from a sheet of celluloid in the shape of a sprightly older man in spats and a straw hat, labeled "Foxy Grandpa Book Mark 2nd Year of the Musical Comedy." Foxy Grandpa was a comic strip created by Charles Edward "Bunny" Schultze that first appeared in January 190
Description (Brief)
Bookmark die-cut from a sheet of celluloid in the shape of a sprightly older man in spats and a straw hat, labeled "Foxy Grandpa Book Mark 2nd Year of the Musical Comedy." Foxy Grandpa was a comic strip created by Charles Edward "Bunny" Schultze that first appeared in January 1900. It featured a lively grandfather who was constantly one-upping his two grandsons' attempts at pranks and practical jokes.
The strip was incredibly popular, eventually printed as anthologies, becoming a Broadway hit and finally a series of live-action silent movies.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1903
maker
Whitehead & Hoag Company
ID Number
2006.0098.0702
accession number
2006.0098
catalog number
2006.0098.0702

Minton parian porcelain pâte-sur-pâte vase (one of a pair)

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
c. 1870-1904
date made
c. 1898
ID Number
CE.P-985
catalog number
P-985
accession number
225282

Kimman Compressed-Air Engine

This small, 3-cylinder, radial, air engine was designed and made by Henry James Kimman (1862-1921), a pioneer inventor of small portable piton air drills. It is believed that the engine was built for a steering engine on a steam roller.
Description
This small, 3-cylinder, radial, air engine was designed and made by Henry James Kimman (1862-1921), a pioneer inventor of small portable piton air drills. It is believed that the engine was built for a steering engine on a steam roller. The experience gained in the construction of the engine directed his interest to the design of air drills, in which field he made valuable contributions.
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
1900
ID Number
MC.310189
catalog number
310189
accession number
112722

Batchelder-Bushnell Steam Engine Indicator

Batchelder and Bushnell manufactured this steam engine indicator. It consists of a brass piston and cylinder. It has a cantilever spring enclosed in a tube, with the stiffness changed by length adjustment and a scale on the side of the tube.
Description
Batchelder and Bushnell manufactured this steam engine indicator. It consists of a brass piston and cylinder. It has a cantilever spring enclosed in a tube, with the stiffness changed by length adjustment and a scale on the side of the tube. It has a large drum with coil spring and single record. It has a large brass stylus.
An engine indicator is an instrument for graphically recording the pressure versus piston displacement through an engine stroke cycle. Engineers use the resulting diagram to check the design and performance of the engine.
A mechanical indicator consists of a piston, spring, stylus, and recording system. The gas pressure of the cylinder deflects the piston and pushes against the spring, creating a linear relationship between the gas pressure and the deflection of the piston against the spring. The deflection is recorded by the stylus on a rotating drum that is connected to the piston. Most indicators incorporate a mechanical linkage to amplify the movement of the piston to increase the scale of the record.
When the ratio of the frequency of the pressure variation to the natural frequency of the system is small, then the dynamic deflection is equal to the static deflection. To design a system with a high natural frequency, the mass of the piston, spring, stylus, and mechanical linkage must be small, but the stiffness of the spring must be high. The indicator is subjected to high temperatures and pressures and rapid oscillations, imposing a limitation on the reduction in mass. Too stiff a spring will result in a small displacement of the indicator piston and a record too small to measure with accuracy. Multiplication of the displacement will introduce mechanical ad dynamic errors.
The parameters of the problem for designing an accurate and trouble free recorder are such that there is no easy or simple solution. Studying the variety of indicators in the collection shows how different inventors made different compromises in their designs.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1904
maker
John S. Bushnell Company
ID Number
MC.319484
catalog number
319484
accession number
237917

Minton pilgrim vase (one of a pair) pâte-sur-pâte

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1891-1904
maker
Minton & Co.
ID Number
CE.P-1083B
catalog number
P-1083B
accession number
225282

Meissen porcelain polar bear

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1903-1905
ID Number
CE.P-284
catalog number
P-284
accession number
225282

Mousetrap

This simple wood and coil-spring trap by an unknown maker has an unusual upright mechanism. Since the U.S. Patent Office was formally established in 1838, it has granted more than forty-four hundred mousetrap peatents, more than for any other device.
Description
This simple wood and coil-spring trap by an unknown maker has an unusual upright mechanism. Since the U.S. Patent Office was formally established in 1838, it has granted more than forty-four hundred mousetrap peatents, more than for any other device. John Mast heeded Ralph Waldo Emerson’s advice to, “Build a better mousetrap, and the world will beat a path to your door” and in 1899 built the more familiar snap trap, which received its patent in 1903. Simple and effective, Mast’s trap is the best-selling mousetrap of all time. However, inventors are still attempting to improve upon Mast’s design--the Patent Office grants about 40 patents for mousetraps a year, and it receives almost ten times as many patent requests!
The simple mousetrap is a testament to American ingenuity. Inventors and innovators have sought to deal with the mice in different ways--some traps are “beheaders,” some “imprisoners,” and some are “mashers.” No matter the design, the mousetrap has an undeniable grasp on the American imagination, with board games, gambling apparatus, and even movies being based on this pervasive mammal and the attempts to capture it.
date made
mid 19th century
ID Number
1982.0064.03
accession number
1982.0064
catalog number
1982.64.03

Minton pilgrim vase (one of a pair), pâte-sur-pâte

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1891-1904
ID Number
CE.P-1083A
catalog number
P-1083A
accession number
225282

Maihak Steam Engine Indicator

This case contains two steam engine indicators, serial numbers 3027 and 3028, manufactured by H. Maihak of Hamburg, Germany.
Description
This case contains two steam engine indicators, serial numbers 3027 and 3028, manufactured by H. Maihak of Hamburg, Germany. It consists of a steel piston with three grooves; a steel cylinder; an external spring, which is missing on both indicators; a large drum with a spiral spring and continuous record; and a brass stylus. The record paper is inside the drum and uses a ratchet and pawl to turn and retrieve it.
An engine indicator is an instrument for graphically recording the pressure versus piston displacement through an engine stroke cycle. Engineers use the resulting diagram to check the design and performance of the engine.
A mechanical indicator consists of a piston, spring, stylus, and recording system. The gas pressure of the cylinder deflects the piston and pushes against the spring, creating a linear relationship between the gas pressure and the deflection of the piston against the spring. The deflection is recorded by the stylus on a rotating drum that is connected to the piston. Most indicators incorporate a mechanical linkage to amplify the movement of the piston to increase the scale of the record.
When the ratio of the frequency of the pressure variation to the natural frequency of the system is small, then the dynamic deflection is equal to the static deflection. To design a system with a high natural frequency, the mass of the piston, spring, stylus, and mechanical linkage must be small, but the stiffness of the spring must be high. The indicator is subjected to high temperatures and pressures and rapid oscillations, imposing a limitation on the reduction in mass. Too stiff a spring will result in a small displacement of the indicator piston and a record too small to measure with accuracy. Multiplication of the displacement will introduce mechanical ad dynamic errors.
The parameters of the problem for designing an accurate and trouble free recorder are such that there is no easy or simple solution. Studying the variety of indicators in the collection shows how different inventors made different compromises in their designs.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1906
ID Number
MC.316891
catalog number
316891
accession number
229655

Welsback light bookmark

Die-cut from celluloid sheet stock. The bookmark is decorated with an image of a woman reading next to a lamp. A verse about the virtues of a Welsbach light is printed on the front. A 1901 calendar is printed on the back.Currently not on view
Description (Brief)
Die-cut from celluloid sheet stock. The bookmark is decorated with an image of a woman reading next to a lamp. A verse about the virtues of a Welsbach light is printed on the front. A 1901 calendar is printed on the back.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1901
maker
Whitehead & Hoag Company
ID Number
2006.0098.0657
accession number
2006.0098
catalog number
2006.0098.0657

Robertson-Thompson Steam Engine Indicator

This Robertson-Thompson steam engine indicator, serial number 7735, consists of a brass piston with two grooves; a brass cylinder; an internal, single wound spring, which can be changed; a medium sized drum with a coil spring and a single record; and a short pencil lead for the s
Description
This Robertson-Thompson steam engine indicator, serial number 7735, consists of a brass piston with two grooves; a brass cylinder; an internal, single wound spring, which can be changed; a medium sized drum with a coil spring and a single record; and a short pencil lead for the stylus. Accompanying the indicator is a box with two extra springs, drum springs, seven wooden pulleys for the reducer, two scales, and two extra pistons.
An engine indicator is an instrument for graphically recording the pressure versus piston displacement through an engine stroke cycle. Engineers use the resulting diagram to check the design and performance of the engine.
A mechanical indicator consists of a piston, spring, stylus, and recording system. The gas pressure of the cylinder deflects the piston and pushes against the spring, creating a linear relationship between the gas pressure and the deflection of the piston against the spring. The deflection is recorded by the stylus on a rotating drum that is connected to the piston. Most indicators incorporate a mechanical linkage to amplify the movement of the piston to increase the scale of the record.
When the ratio of the frequency of the pressure variation to the natural frequency of the system is small, then the dynamic deflection is equal to the static deflection. To design a system with a high natural frequency, the mass of the piston, spring, stylus, and mechanical linkage must be small, but the stiffness of the spring must be high. The indicator is subjected to high temperatures and pressures and rapid oscillations, imposing a limitation on the reduction in mass. Too stiff a spring will result in a small displacement of the indicator piston and a record too small to measure with accuracy. Multiplication of the displacement will introduce mechanical ad dynamic errors.
The parameters of the problem for designing an accurate and trouble free recorder are such that there is no easy or simple solution. Studying the variety of indicators in the collection shows how different inventors made different compromises in their designs.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1900
ID Number
MC.318483
catalog number
318483
accession number
234643

Match Safe

Souvenir metal match safe with hinged lid from Gettysburg, Pa. A wrap-around celluloid label shows a color image of the High Water Mark Monument on one side, and the house where Jennie Wade was shot, on the reverse.
Description (Brief)
Souvenir metal match safe with hinged lid from Gettysburg, Pa. A wrap-around celluloid label shows a color image of the High Water Mark Monument on one side, and the house where Jennie Wade was shot, on the reverse. Jennie Wade was the only civilian killed during the Battle of Gettysburg.
Description
Match safes were designed to hold friction matches. This one, made of metal covered with celluloid, has a photograph of the High Water Mark Monument in Gettysburg one side, and the Jennie Wade house on the other. High water here refers to the deepest penetration of Confederate troops into the Union Line. Jeannie Wade was a civilian shot at the Battle of Gettysburg.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1908
ID Number
2006.0098.0996
accession number
2006.0098
catalog number
2006.0098.0996

Meissen allegorical figure group representing fire

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
Mid 19th century
ID Number
CE.P-31
catalog number
P-31
accession number
225282

Allen Automatic Injector, Patent Model

This model was submitted to the U.S. Patent Office with the application for the patent issued to Charles B. Allen, of Wadsworth, Ohio, April 15, 1902, no.
Description
This model was submitted to the U.S. Patent Office with the application for the patent issued to Charles B. Allen, of Wadsworth, Ohio, April 15, 1902, no. 697770.
This injector is designed to start itself automatically when supplied with steam and connected to the water supply and to restart automatically if for any reason the jet should be temporarily interrupted. The peculiar feature of the injector is the forcing tube, which is provided with two successive overflows formed in it by a series of laterally opening holes which have a definite areal relation to the smallest cross-sectional area of the combining tube and which are in addition to the usual large overflow between the combining tube and the forcing tube.
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
1902
patent date
1902-04-15
inventor
Allen, Charles B.
ID Number
MC.309176
catalog number
309176
accession number
89797
patent number
697,770

New Hampshire Militia Button

The Scovill Manufacturing Company of Waterbury, Connecticut produced this New Hampshire volunteer militia button around the middle of the 19th century. Scovill was established in 1802 as a button manufacturer that is still in business today.
Description (Brief)
The Scovill Manufacturing Company of Waterbury, Connecticut produced this New Hampshire volunteer militia button around the middle of the 19th century. Scovill was established in 1802 as a button manufacturer that is still in business today. Scovill is an important example of early American industrial manufacturing that adapted armory machines to mass-produce a variety of consumer goods including buttons, daguerreotype mats, medals, coins, and tokens.
The button has an image of a ship with oars and several men on the shore. The legend around the rim reads: NEW HAMPSHIRE/VOL. MILITIA.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
mid 19th century
maker
Scovill Manufacturing Company
ID Number
1981.0296.1554
accession number
1981.0296
catalog number
1981.0296.1554

Belen Token

The Scovill Manufacturing Company of Waterbury, Connecticut produced this token around the late 19th century. Scovill was established in 1802 as a button manufacturer that is still in business today.
Description (Brief)
The Scovill Manufacturing Company of Waterbury, Connecticut produced this token around the late 19th century. Scovill was established in 1802 as a button manufacturer that is still in business today. Scovill is an important example of early American industrial manufacturing that adapted armory machines to mass-produce a variety of consumer goods including buttons, daguerreotype mats, medals, coins, and tokens.
Obverse: The legend reads: BELEN.
Reverse: The legend reads: UN REAL.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
late 19th century
maker
Scovill Manufacturing Company
ID Number
1981.0296.1539
accession number
1981.0296
catalog number
1981.0296.1539

Corset and Whalebone Scrimshaw Busk

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1825 - 1835
fashion
19th century
ID Number
CS.287645.001
catalog number
287645.001

Minton porcelain pâte-sur-pâte vase

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1870-1904
c.1888
ID Number
CE.P-996
catalog number
P-996
accession number
225282

Desmond Injector, Patent Model

This model was submitted to the U.S. Patent Office with the application for the patent issued to John Desmond, of Cincinnati, Ohio, October 8, 1901, no.
Description
This model was submitted to the U.S. Patent Office with the application for the patent issued to John Desmond, of Cincinnati, Ohio, October 8, 1901, no. 683914; assigned to the Lunkenheimer Co.
Features of this injector are the construction of the starting lever, which with one motion operates both the steam and overflow valves and also permits the overflow valve to close independently of the lever; a removable ring of resistant metal inserted in the combining tube at its smallest diameter to receive the corroding action of the jet at that point; and an arrangement of steam and water passages designed to prevent the raising of the temperature of the feed water to such a temperature as to deposit scale within the tubes of the injector.
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
1901
patent date
1901-10-08
inventor
Desmond, John
ID Number
MC.309190
catalog number
309190
accession number
89797
patent number
683,914

Star Steam Engine Indicator

The Star Brass Mfg. Co. manufactured this steam engine indicator, serial number 760. It consists of a steel piston with one groove; a vented brass cylinder; an external, double wound spring, which can be changed; a small drum with a spiral spring and a single record.
Description
The Star Brass Mfg. Co. manufactured this steam engine indicator, serial number 760. It consists of a steel piston with one groove; a vented brass cylinder; an external, double wound spring, which can be changed; a small drum with a spiral spring and a single record. The stylus is missing.
An engine indicator is an instrument for graphically recording the pressure versus piston displacement through an engine stroke cycle. Engineers use the resulting diagram to check the design and performance of the engine.
A mechanical indicator consists of a piston, spring, stylus, and recording system. The gas pressure of the cylinder deflects the piston and pushes against the spring, creating a linear relationship between the gas pressure and the deflection of the piston against the spring. The deflection is recorded by the stylus on a rotating drum that is connected to the piston. Most indicators incorporate a mechanical linkage to amplify the movement of the piston to increase the scale of the record.
When the ratio of the frequency of the pressure variation to the natural frequency of the system is small, then the dynamic deflection is equal to the static deflection. To design a system with a high natural frequency, the mass of the piston, spring, stylus, and mechanical linkage must be small, but the stiffness of the spring must be high. The indicator is subjected to high temperatures and pressures and rapid oscillations, imposing a limitation on the reduction in mass. Too stiff a spring will result in a small displacement of the indicator piston and a record too small to measure with accuracy. Multiplication of the displacement will introduce mechanical ad dynamic errors.
The parameters of the problem for designing an accurate and trouble free recorder are such that there is no easy or simple solution. Studying the variety of indicators in the collection shows how different inventors made different compromises in their designs.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1907
maker
Star Brass Manufacturing Company
ID Number
MC.319483
catalog number
319483
accession number
237917

Minton parian porcelain pâte-sur-pâte covered vase

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
c. 1870-1904
date made
c. 1890
ID Number
CE.P-988ab
catalog number
P-988ab
accession number
225282

Patent model for loose leaf binder

This patent model demonstrates an invention for a loose leaf binder with adjustable sides; the invention was granted patent number 787353.Currently not on view
Description (Brief)
This patent model demonstrates an invention for a loose leaf binder with adjustable sides; the invention was granted patent number 787353.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1905
patent date
1905-04-18
maker
Carlson, Charles A.
ID Number
1996.0062.05
patent number
787353
accession number
1996.0062
catalog number
1996.0062.05
patent number
787353

Andrew Jackson Historical Medal

This historical medal was made by the Scovill Manufacturing Company of Waterbury, Connecticut in the middle of the 19th century. The Scovill Company was established in 1802 as a button manufacturer and is still in business today.
Description (Brief)
This historical medal was made by the Scovill Manufacturing Company of Waterbury, Connecticut in the middle of the 19th century. 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’s hole indicates it was worn.
Obverse: Bust of Andrew Jackson facing right. Legend: ANDREW JACKSON.
Reverse: Image of an urn on a pedestal under a weeping willow. Legend: BORN MAR. 15 1767. DIED JUNE 8 1845.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
mid 19th century
depicted
Jackson, Andrew
maker
Scovill Manufacturing Company
ID Number
1981.0296.1257
accession number
1981.0296
catalog number
1981.0296.1257

Battle of Hampton Roads Commemorative Medal

The Scovill Manufacturing Company of Waterbury, Connecticut produced this medal during the second half of the 19th century. 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 medal during the second half of the 19th century. 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 medals.
Obverse: The Monitor and Merrimac warships engaged in battle. Legend: THE FIRST BATTLE BETWEEN IRON CLAD WAR VESSELS.
Reverse: THE REBEL STEAMER MERRIMAC, WITH 12 GUNS, DEFEATED BY THE UNION STEAMER MONITOR, WITH 2 GUNS, IN HAMPTON RDS, MAR. 9. 1862.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
late 19th century
maker
Scovill Manufacturing Company
ID Number
1981.0296.1525
accession number
1981.0296
catalog number
1981.0296.1525

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