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.

Patent Model of a Typecasting Machine

This patent model demonstrates an invention for improvements to the mechanism of typecasting machines; it was granted patent number 10377.
Description (Brief)
This patent model demonstrates an invention for improvements to the mechanism of typecasting machines; it was granted patent number 10377. The improvements to the typecaster include placing the mold below its "axis of oscillation" instead of the usual higher position.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1854
patent date
1854-01-03
maker
Mueller, Charles
ID Number
GA.89797.010377
patent number
010377
accession number
089797
catalog number
GA*89797.010377

Patent Model of a Rotary Web Press

This patent model demonstrates an invention for a rotary printing press which was granted patent model number 25069. The patent details improvements to Wilkinson's press of 1853, patent number 9525.Currently not on view
Description (Brief)
This patent model demonstrates an invention for a rotary printing press which was granted patent model number 25069. The patent details improvements to Wilkinson's press of 1853, patent number 9525.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1859
patent date
1859-08-09
patentee
Wilkinson, Jephtha A.
ID Number
GA.89797.025069
patent number
025069
accession number
089797
catalog number
GA*89797.025069

Patent Model of a Sheet-feed Apparatus

This patent model demonstrates an invention for a sheet-feed apparatus which was granted patent number 229998.
Description (Brief)
This patent model demonstrates an invention for a sheet-feed apparatus which was granted patent number 229998. The patent describes a feeding attachment for flatbed cylinder machines that allowed sheets to be held obliquely, so that bands of color could be printed diagonally across the paper-a style popular at the time.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1880
patent date
1880-07-13
maker
Goss, Frederick L.
ID Number
GA.89797.229998
accession number
089797
patent number
229998
catalog number
GA*89797.229998

Patent Model for a Typecasting Machine

This patent model demonstrates an invention for a typecasting machine which was granted patent number 4072. The patent details further developments on David Bruce's pivotal typecaster.Currently not on view
Description (Brief)
This patent model demonstrates an invention for a typecasting machine which was granted patent number 4072. The patent details further developments on David Bruce's pivotal typecaster.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1845
patent date
1845-06-07
maker
Bruce, Jr., David
ID Number
GA.89797.004072
accession number
089797
patent number
004072
catalog number
GA*89797.004072

Patent Model for a Rotary Web Perfecting Press

This patent model demonstrates an invention for a rotary web perfecting press which was granted patent number 91191. The two pairs of printing cylinders had surfaces that were half type bed and half impression blanket, the type on one backing onto the blanket on its mate.
Description (Brief)
This patent model demonstrates an invention for a rotary web perfecting press which was granted patent number 91191. The two pairs of printing cylinders had surfaces that were half type bed and half impression blanket, the type on one backing onto the blanket on its mate. As the web passed through the first pair, alternating parts of the paper were printed on each side. Then the web passed through the other pair, and the impression was completed. After printing, the web was cut into sheets.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1869
patent date
1869-06-08
maker
Wright, John K.
ID Number
GA.89797.091191
accession number
89797
patent number
091191
catalog number
GA*89797.091191

Patent Model for Lithographic Printing Forms

This patent model demonstrates an invention for a lithographic printing press which was granted patent number 144796. That patent details an apparatus for assembling multiple stones for printing together as a composite form.Currently not on view
Description (Brief)
This patent model demonstrates an invention for a lithographic printing press which was granted patent number 144796. That patent details an apparatus for assembling multiple stones for printing together as a composite form.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1873
patent date
1873-11-18
maker
Reynolds, Ira
ID Number
GA.89797.144796
patent number
144796
accession number
089797
catalog number
GA*89797.144796

Patent Model of a Printers' Lead Racks

This patent model demonstrates an invention for a printer's lead rack which was granted patent number 135894. The patent describes a cabinet of graded slots, vertically arranged.
Description (Brief)
This patent model demonstrates an invention for a printer's lead rack which was granted patent number 135894. The patent describes a cabinet of graded slots, vertically arranged. According to Dearing, leads were usually stored on ordinary type cases adapted for the purpose.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1873
patent date
1873-02-18
maker
Dearing, Octavus A.
ID Number
GA.89797.135894
patent number
135894
accession number
089797
catalog number
GA*89797.135894

Patent Model of a Typecasting Machine

This patent model demonstrates an invention for a typecasting machine which was granted patent number 110303. The patent details a mechanism for tripping the matrix lever, and opening and closing the mold.Currently not on view
Description (Brief)
This patent model demonstrates an invention for a typecasting machine which was granted patent number 110303. The patent details a mechanism for tripping the matrix lever, and opening and closing the mold.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1870
patent date
1870-12-20
maker
Spang, William
ID Number
GA.89797.110303
patent number
110303
accession number
089797
catalog number
GA*89797.110303

Patent Model of a Lithographic Printing Press

This patent model demonstrates an invention for improvements to the inking, dampening, and tympan apparatus in a scraper machine. The invention was granted patent number 37727.Currently not on view
Description (Brief)
This patent model demonstrates an invention for improvements to the inking, dampening, and tympan apparatus in a scraper machine. The invention was granted patent number 37727.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1863
date made
ca 1863
patent date
1863-02-17
maker
Reynolds, George H.
ID Number
GA.89797.037727
accession number
89797
patent number
037727

Patent model for rubber plates or dies for printing

This patent model demonstrates an invention for rubber plates in which a relief-printing plate of vulcanized rubber was molded directly from an intaglio--but right-reading--image etched into stone or metal.
Description (Brief)
This patent model demonstrates an invention for rubber plates in which a relief-printing plate of vulcanized rubber was molded directly from an intaglio--but right-reading--image etched into stone or metal. This invention was granted patent number 154230; the model consists of two mounted rubber plates.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1874
patent date
1874-08-18
maker
Dickson, John
ID Number
GA.89797.154230
accession number
089797
patent number
154230
catalog number
GA*89797.154230

Patent Model of a Pantographic Engraving Machine

This patent model demonstrates an invention for a model of a pantographic engraving machine which was granted patent number 54759.
Description (Brief)
This patent model demonstrates an invention for a model of a pantographic engraving machine which was granted patent number 54759. The patent details an engraving machine capable of producing copies of the same size as the pattern, or larger or smaller, or of altered proportions; also, a ruling machine.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1866
patent date
1866-05-15
patentee
Oldham, Edmund
ID Number
GA.89797.054759
patent number
054759
accession number
089797
catalog number
GA*89797.054759

Patent Model for an Electrotype Printing block for Textile Printing

This patent model demonstrates an invention for an electrotype printing block which was granted patent number 25954. Common textile printing blocks were made of wood.
Description (Brief)
This patent model demonstrates an invention for an electrotype printing block which was granted patent number 25954. Common textile printing blocks were made of wood. The wooden blocks gave trouble when wet, and their inclined walls tended to spread the color and broaden lines in printing fabric. This patent covered a method of making metal printing blocks with high vertical walls. Matrices were first constructed of numerous pieces of rectangular type of different lengths, then molded in wax, and finally electrotyped.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1859
patent date
1859-11-01
maker
Crossley, Thomas
ID Number
GA.89797.025953
patent number
025953
accession number
089797
catalog number
GA*89797.25953

Patent Model of a Machine for Coating Electrotype Molds with Plumbago

This patent model demonstrates an invention for a machine for coating electrotype; the invention was granted patent number 85411.
Description (Brief)
This patent model demonstrates an invention for a machine for coating electrotype; the invention was granted patent number 85411. The patent details a machine for brushing black lead (plumbago, graphite) or bronze powder onto either wax or gutta percha molds, in order to give them conducting surfaces. Stephen Tucker was an employee and, from I860, a partner with R. Hoe & Co. He was responsible for numerous patents for the company, and was the author of the company history, "A History of R. Hoe & Company, 1834- 1885.”
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1868
patent date
1868-12-29
maker
Tucker, Stephen D.
ID Number
GA.89797.085411
patent number
085411
accession number
089797
catalog number
GA*89797.085411

Patent Model of a Mechanism for Trimming Stereotype Plates

This patent model demonstrates an invention for an apparatus for trimming stereotype plates; the invention was granted patent number 221366.
Description (Brief)
This patent model demonstrates an invention for an apparatus for trimming stereotype plates; the invention was granted patent number 221366. The patent describes a machine that combined the operations of trimming (cutting the rough edges) and shaving (cutting down the back ribs) of curved stereotype plates for rotary printing. Walter Scott was a well-known manufacturer of fast rotary perfecting machines.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1879
patent date
1879-11-04
maker
Scott, Walter
ID Number
GA.89797.221366
patent number
221366
accession number
089797
catalog number
GA*89797.221366

Patent model for printers' quoins

This patent model demonstrates an invention for mechanical quoins, which expanded by means of paired screw gears; the invention was granted patent number 93603.Currently not on view
Description (Brief)
This patent model demonstrates an invention for mechanical quoins, which expanded by means of paired screw gears; the invention was granted patent number 93603.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1869
patent date
1869-08-10
maker
Dorrity, Daniel
ID Number
GA.89797.093603
accession number
089797
patent number
093603
catalog number
GA*87979.093603

Patent Model of an Electrotype Shell and Base

This patent model demonstrates an invention for an electrotype shell and base which was granted patent model 313812. The patent describes a method of fastening thin electrotype shells to cast metal bases by bending the edges of the shell into grooves on the base.
Description (Brief)
This patent model demonstrates an invention for an electrotype shell and base which was granted patent model 313812. The patent describes a method of fastening thin electrotype shells to cast metal bases by bending the edges of the shell into grooves on the base. The invention was said to be particularly appropriate for newspapers, which might otherwise depend on heavy stereotype plates shipped over long distances. The patent was assigned to the American Press Association.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1885
patent date
1885-03-10
maker
Cummings, George W.
Cummings, John R.
ID Number
GA.89797.313812
accession number
089797
patent number
313812
catalog number
GA*89797.313812

Patent Model of a Newspaper Files

This patent model demonstrates an invention for a folding wall-desk for newspaper reading and storage. The invention was granted patent number 173047.Currently not on view
Description (Brief)
This patent model demonstrates an invention for a folding wall-desk for newspaper reading and storage. The invention was granted patent number 173047.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1876
patent date
1876-02-01
maker
Noble, H. Shaw
ID Number
GA.89797.173047
accession number
089797
patent number
173047
catalog number
GA*89797.173047

Metal Hardware

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1890 - 1930
maker
Waterbury Button Company
ID Number
MC.314686.2358
accession number
314686
catalog number
314686.2358

Patent Model of a Sheet Feeder and Fly Operation for a Bed-and-Platen Press

This patent model demonstrates an invention for a sheet feeder and fly operation for a bed-and-platen press which was granted patent number 12183. Paper was fed through a slot on the feedboard to a carriage, which placed the sheet for printing.
Description (Brief)
This patent model demonstrates an invention for a sheet feeder and fly operation for a bed-and-platen press which was granted patent number 12183. Paper was fed through a slot on the feedboard to a carriage, which placed the sheet for printing. Then the carriage withdrew with the paper, and it was lifted off by a sheet fly.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1855
patent date
1855-01-02
ID Number
GA.89797.012183
accession number
89797
patent number
012183
catalog number
GA*89797.012183

Metal Hardware

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1890 - 1930
maker
Waterbury Button Company
ID Number
MC.314686.4331
accession number
314686
catalog number
314686.4331

Ornate Metal One-Pronged Buckle

This stamped yellowish metal buckle is formed into a circular shape and decorated with a flower design.The Waterbury Collection tells the story of an important American manufacturer.
Description
This stamped yellowish metal buckle is formed into a circular shape and decorated with a flower design.
The Waterbury Collection tells the story of an important American manufacturer. As evidence of one company’s diverse output, the collection consists of several thousand metal objects and assemblies made in Waterbury, Connecticut, in the Naugatuck Valley from about 1890 to 1930. During the 19th Century, the Naugatuck Valley became a center of brass manufacturing, drawing heavily on the armory manufacturing practice of interchangeable parts.
The Waterbury Button Company traces its beginning to the War of 1812, when Aaron Benedict began crafting uniform buttons. During the nineteenth century the company grew from a small village shop to a large national manufacturer. Its product line expanded to include machine produced brassware such as knobs, hinges, and buckles. The company also experimented with innovative materials such as celluloid in the 1870s and Bakelite in the 1920s. In the spirit of its founding, the company continued to supply uniform buttons and mobilized to meet wartime demands during major conflicts including the Civil War and World War I.
This rich history of product innovation and machine assembly is captured in the more than 7,500 examples of military insignia, civilian emblems, belt plates, buckles, and machine components donated to the museum in 1975. Varying in size from a thumbtack to a soup can, the majority of these objects are composed of metal such as tin, nickel, brass, and other copper and iron alloys. They originally came to the museum mounted on cardboard display boards. At the National Museum of American History, the collection is divided between the Division of Work and Industry and the Division of Armed Forces History. Additional artifacts can be found at the Mattatuck Museum in Waterbury, Connecticut.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1890 - 1930
maker
Waterbury Button Company
ID Number
MC.314686.0580
catalog number
314686.0580
accession number
314686

Ornate Metal Button

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1890 - 1930
maker
Waterbury Button Company
ID Number
MC.314686.1558
accession number
314686
catalog number
314686.1558

Ornate Metal Badge

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1890 - 1930
maker
Waterbury Button Company
ID Number
MC.314686.1555
accession number
314686
catalog number
314686.1555

Metal Hardware

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1890 - 1930
maker
Waterbury Button Company
ID Number
MC.314686.2763
accession number
314686
catalog number
314686.2763

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