Natural Resources

Lithograph of

The natural resources collections offer centuries of evidence about how Americans have used the bounty of the American continent and coastal waters. Artifacts related to flood control, dam construction, and irrigation illustrate the nation's attempts to manage the natural world. Oil-drilling, iron-mining, and steel-making artifacts show the connection between natural resources and industrial strength.

Forestry is represented by saws, axes, a smokejumper's suit, and many other objects. Hooks, nets, and other gear from New England fisheries of the late 1800s are among the fishing artifacts, as well as more recent acquisitions from the Pacific Northwest and Chesapeake Bay. Whaling artifacts include harpoons, lances, scrimshaw etchings in whalebone, and several paintings of a whaler's work at sea. The modern environmental movement has contributed buttons and other protest artifacts on issues from scenic rivers to biodiversity.

Engraved wood block "Kasanji"

Joseph H. Brightly (about 1818–about 1858) of Philadelphia and New York City engraved this printing block after the drawing Kasanji, a native of Kasanji, by Expedition Artist Alfred T. Agate. The wood engraving illustration was published on page 63 of Volume I of the U.S.
Description
Joseph H. Brightly (about 1818–about 1858) of Philadelphia and New York City engraved this printing block after the drawing Kasanji, a native of Kasanji, by Expedition Artist Alfred T. Agate. The wood engraving illustration was published on page 63 of Volume I of the U.S. Exploring Expedition Narrative by Charles Wilkes, 1844.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
ca 1844
ca 1844
publisher
Wilkes, Charles
printer
Sherman, Conger
author
Wilkes, Charles
original artist
Agate, A. T.
graphic artist
Brightly, Joseph H.
ID Number
1999.0145.038
accession number
1999.0145
catalog number
1999.0145.038
accession number
1999.0145

Miner's Carbide Lamp

This lamp is a horizontal tank Grier with an S-shaped water lever, manufactured around 1916. The Grier Brothers of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania began manufacturing carbide mining lamps in 1911.
Description (Brief)
This lamp is a horizontal tank Grier with an S-shaped water lever, manufactured around 1916. The Grier Brothers of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania began manufacturing carbide mining lamps in 1911. Their finances took a fatal blow in 1922 when the Supreme Court ruled against them for patent infringement in Baldwin & Simmons v. Grier Brothers. By 1924, the Gem Manufacturing Company had bought the Griers' stock of mining lamps.
Location
Currently not on view
ID Number
AG.MHI-MN-9798
accession number
066474
catalog number
MHI-MH-9798

Carrot Slices Preserved in Plastic

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1940-04-15
ID Number
AG.A.7552
catalog number
A.7552
accession number
198812

Miner’s Carbide Lamp

This full shift carbide mining lamp was made by the Baldwin Company of New York City during the early 20th century. Acetylene gas is produced when water from the lamp's upper level encounters the calcium carbide stored in the base via a dripping mechanism.
Description (Brief)
This full shift carbide mining lamp was made by the Baldwin Company of New York City during the early 20th century. Acetylene gas is produced when water from the lamp's upper level encounters the calcium carbide stored in the base via a dripping mechanism. The amount of water flowing into the calcium carbide container can be controlled, with more water producing more gas and a bigger flame when the lamp is lit.
Location
Currently not on view
ID Number
AG.MHI-MN-8800A
catalog number
MHI-MN-8800A
accession number
265669

Miner's Safety Lamp

This Davy safety lamp was made by J.W. Queen & Company of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in the late 19th century. Sir Humphry Davy developed one of many safety lamp designs.
Description (Brief)
This Davy safety lamp was made by J.W. Queen & Company of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in the late 19th century. Sir Humphry Davy developed one of many safety lamp designs. He discovered that if the holes in the metallic gauze enveloping the flame were smaller than they were deep, the flame would not pass through. This prevented the combustible gases (called firedamp) from exploding, as would happen with the open flames earlier oil-wick cap lamps.
Location
Currently not on view
ID Number
AG.059271
catalog number
59271
accession number
15369

Miner's Carbide Lamp

This is an Auto-Lite Carbide Mining Lamp, produced by the Universal Lamp Company in Chicago, Illinois, around 1930. Auto-Lite mining lamps were produced from 1913 through 1960, most following the design Jacob Sherman patented in 1924.
Description (Brief)
This is an Auto-Lite Carbide Mining Lamp, produced by the Universal Lamp Company in Chicago, Illinois, around 1930. Auto-Lite mining lamps were produced from 1913 through 1960, most following the design Jacob Sherman patented in 1924. This particular lamp likely dates to around 1930, as evidenced by the rubber bumper grip on the base and two lines of lettering on the top.
Location
Currently not on view
ID Number
AG.MHI-MN-9772A
catalog number
MHI-MN-9772A
accession number
304880

Miner’s Cap Lamp

This oil-wick cap lamp was made by an unknown maker during the second half of the 19th century. The oil-wick cap lamp was first invented in Scotland in 1850 and in use until the 1920’s. The font contained a mix of fat and oil for fuel, and a wick was inserted into the spout.
Description (Brief)
This oil-wick cap lamp was made by an unknown maker during the second half of the 19th century. The oil-wick cap lamp was first invented in Scotland in 1850 and in use until the 1920’s. The font contained a mix of fat and oil for fuel, and a wick was inserted into the spout. The resulting flame was much brighter and more efficient than the candles it replaced. This lamp bears a shield that reads “UMW of A” for the United Mine Workers of America.
Location
Currently not on view
ID Number
AG.MHI-MN-8992A
accession number
263096
catalog number
MHI-MN-8992A

Miner's Safety Lamp

This is a safety lamp manufactured by the Wolf Safety Lamp Company of America in the early 20th century. This lamp is one of the most popular Wolf designs, employing a glass enclosure, wire gauze on the top-interior, and a metal bonnet exterior to protect the flame.
Description (Brief)
This is a safety lamp manufactured by the Wolf Safety Lamp Company of America in the early 20th century. This lamp is one of the most popular Wolf designs, employing a glass enclosure, wire gauze on the top-interior, and a metal bonnet exterior to protect the flame. The "permissible" engraved on the lamp means the lamp was approved by the U.S. Bureau of Mines, and the lines on the glass portion suggest the lamp was used to judge methane levels.
Location
Currently not on view
ID Number
AG.MHI-MN-8106B
accession number
240639
catalog number
MHI-MN-8106B

Miner's Electric Cap Lamp

First manufactured in 1912, the Edison Safety Mining Lamp was powered by a battery enclosed in a self-locking steel case worn on the miner’s belt. A flexible cord, protected by a steel cover at both ends, connected the battery to the cap lamp.
Description (Brief)
First manufactured in 1912, the Edison Safety Mining Lamp was powered by a battery enclosed in a self-locking steel case worn on the miner’s belt. A flexible cord, protected by a steel cover at both ends, connected the battery to the cap lamp. The battery could power the six-candlepower lamp for 12 hours and was recharged at the end of a miner’s shift.
Location
Currently not on view
ID Number
AG.MHI-MN-7948
accession number
240639
catalog number
MHI-MN-7948

Miner’s Cap Lamp

This oil-wick cap lamp was made by an unknown maker during the second half of the 19th century. It has as double spout, indicating that it burned "Sunshine" fuel, a mixture of paraffin wax and 3% mineral oil produced by the Standard Oil Company.
Description (Brief)
This oil-wick cap lamp was made by an unknown maker during the second half of the 19th century. It has as double spout, indicating that it burned "Sunshine" fuel, a mixture of paraffin wax and 3% mineral oil produced by the Standard Oil Company. Called a "Sunshine Lamp," the outer spout served to insulate the wick in the inner spout, thereby conducting enough heat to melt the wax in the Sunshine fuel. This kind of lamp hooked onto a miner’s cap, and produced an open flame.
ID Number
AG.MHI-MN-9660
catalog number
MHI-MN-9660
accession number
292877

Hurricane Evacuation Route Road Sign

As Hurricane Katrina approached in August 2005, over 80 percent of the residents of New Orleans fled the city during the mandatory evacuation. Thousands of residents, however, could not or would not leave.Currently not on view
Description
As Hurricane Katrina approached in August 2005, over 80 percent of the residents of New Orleans fled the city during the mandatory evacuation. Thousands of residents, however, could not or would not leave.
Location
Currently not on view
Associated Date
2005
fabricator
New Orleans Department of Public Works
ID Number
2005.0284.01
accession number
2005.0284
catalog number
2005.0284.01

Miner’s Safety Lamp with Cutaway

This is a safety lamp manufactured by the Wolf Safety Lamp Company of America in 1916. The cutaway shows the details of one of the most popular Wolf designs, employing a glass enclosure, double wire gauze on the top-interior, and a metal bonnet exterior to protect the flame.
Description (Brief)
This is a safety lamp manufactured by the Wolf Safety Lamp Company of America in 1916. The cutaway shows the details of one of the most popular Wolf designs, employing a glass enclosure, double wire gauze on the top-interior, and a metal bonnet exterior to protect the flame. The cutaway also reveals the cotton that would be soaked with oil to provide fuel to the wick to light the flame.
Location
Currently not on view
ID Number
AG.MHI-MN-7760
catalog number
MHI-MN-7760
accession number
235037

Oil-Wick Miner’s Lamp Patent Model

This oil-wick cap lamp is a patent model constructed by William C. Winfield of Hubbard, Ohio that received patent number 115,143 on May 23, 1871.
Description (Brief)
This oil-wick cap lamp is a patent model constructed by William C. Winfield of Hubbard, Ohio that received patent number 115,143 on May 23, 1871. Winfield’s claim in the patent filing is a miner's lamp with “a new article of manufacture, viz., a miner's lamp, provided with a screw-cap constructed, arranged, and operating with relation to the body of the lamp.”
Location
Currently not on view
patent date
1871-05-23
patentee
Winfield, William C.
ID Number
AG.MHI-MN-9737
accession number
088881
catalog number
MHI-MN-9737
patent number
115143

Miner’s Safety Lamp

This is a safety lamp manufactured by the Friemann and Wolf Company of Zwickau, Germany in the late 19th century. The Friemann and Wolf Company was a prominent lamp manufacturer that exported their lamps to the U.S.
Description (Brief)
This is a safety lamp manufactured by the Friemann and Wolf Company of Zwickau, Germany in the late 19th century. The Friemann and Wolf Company was a prominent lamp manufacturer that exported their lamps to the U.S. until World War I, when buying German products became unpopular. This lamp is one of the most popular Wolf designs, employing a glass enclosure, wire gauze on the top-interior, and a metal bonnet exterior to protect the flame.
Location
Currently not on view
ID Number
AG.MHI-MN-9756A
accession number
304880
catalog number
MHI-MN-9756A

pansy, encapsulated

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
ID Number
AG.A.7559
accession number
198812
catalog number
A.7559

Coal King Miner’s Helmet

This black Coal King brand miner’s helmet was made during the first half of the 20th century by the T.R. Jones Company of Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania.
Description (Brief)
This black Coal King brand miner’s helmet was made during the first half of the 20th century by the T.R. Jones Company of Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. The helmet is made of re-enforced leather, with a leather and metal lamp bracket in the front and a leather cord holder in the rear. The helmet’s cord holder keeps the cable out of the miner’s way, routing it behind the miner. The cord holder points to this helmet being used in conjunction with an electric lamp.
Location
Currently not on view
ID Number
AG.MHI-MN-9575A
catalog number
MHI-MN-9575A
accession number
282791

Saybolt Viscosimeter

The viscosimeter began as a scientific instrument for laboratory use in the 1830s. In time, due to increased industrial production, demand for quality control, and use of mineral-based oils, it gained real-world importance.
Description
The viscosimeter began as a scientific instrument for laboratory use in the 1830s. In time, due to increased industrial production, demand for quality control, and use of mineral-based oils, it gained real-world importance. The favored form for petroleum products measured the time it took for a certain volume of fluid to empty out of a container. The standard American design was developed by George M. Saybolt, unveiled in the 1880s, and manufactured by the C. J. Tagliabue Mfg. Co. for the Standard Oil Company in New York. It resembled the viscosimeters designed by Boverton Redwood in Great Britain and by Karl Engler in Germany.
Tagliabue brought the basic Saybolt viscosimeter to the open market in 1905. An improved form adapted for steam, gas, or electric heating, appeared in 1914. It cost $82 with a stopwatch, and $75 without. Following Saybolt’s death in 1924, the New York Times implied that the viscosimeter was largely responsible for his $100,000 estate.
This example is marked: “The SAYBOLT Standard / UNIVERSAL VISCOSIMETER / C. H. Tagliabue Mfg. Co. / New York / Sole Sales Agents” and “C. J. TAGLIABUE MFG. CO. N.Y.” and “2880” and “PATENT PENDING” and “2880 STANDARD UNIVERSAL VISCOSIMETER, GEO. M. SAYBOLT, NEW YORK”. It was made after Saybolt applied for a patent in 1914, and before the patent was issued in 1915. The U.S. Military Academy donated it to the Smithsonian.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1914-1915
maker
C.J. Tagliabue Manufacturing Company
ID Number
CH.316411
catalog number
316411
accession number
223721

Campaign speeches are useful, at that

This pen-and-ink comic art drawing by Rube Goldberg from 1924 features the concept of using “windy” political speeches as free energy.Rube Goldberg (1883-1970) was an engineer before he was a comic artist.
Description (Brief)
This pen-and-ink comic art drawing by Rube Goldberg from 1924 features the concept of using “windy” political speeches as free energy.
Rube Goldberg (1883-1970) was an engineer before he was a comic artist. After receiving an engineering degree, he started his career designing sewers for the City of San Francisco, but then followed his other interest and took a job as a sports cartoonist for the San Francisco Chronicle. After moving to New York in 1907 Goldberg worked for several newspapers, producing a number of short-lived strips and panels—many of which were inspired by his engineering background, including his renowned invention cartoons. In the late 1930s and 1940s he switched his focus to editorial and political cartoons and in 1945 founded the National Cartoonists Society. The Reuben, comic art’s most prestigious award, is named after him.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1924-10-31
original artist
Goldberg, Rube
ID Number
GA.23492
catalog number
23492
accession number
299186

Miner’s Safety Lamp

This Davy style safety lamp was manufactured by the American Safety Lamp and Mine Supply Company of Scranton, Pennsylvania in the latter half of the 19th century. The “safety” mining lamp was a tremendous step forward in preventing mining disasters.
Description (Brief)
This Davy style safety lamp was manufactured by the American Safety Lamp and Mine Supply Company of Scranton, Pennsylvania in the latter half of the 19th century. The “safety” mining lamp was a tremendous step forward in preventing mining disasters. Encasing the flame in metal gauze prevented the flame from escaping the lamp and igniting the combustible gases (called firedamp), as would happen with the open flames of carbide or oil-wick lamps.
Location
Currently not on view
ID Number
AG.MHI-MN-9547B
accession number
280476
catalog number
MHI-MN-9547B

Miner’s Safety Lamp

This Davy style safety lamp was manufactured by the American Safety Lamp and Mine Supply Company of Scranton, Pennsylvania in the latter half of the 19th century. The “safety” mining lamp was a tremendous step forward in preventing mining disasters.
Description (Brief)
This Davy style safety lamp was manufactured by the American Safety Lamp and Mine Supply Company of Scranton, Pennsylvania in the latter half of the 19th century. The “safety” mining lamp was a tremendous step forward in preventing mining disasters. Encasing the flame in metal gauze prevented the flame from escaping the lamp and igniting the combustible gases (called firedamp), as would happen with the open flames of carbide or oil-wick lamps.
ID Number
AG.MHI-MN-9547A
accession number
280476
catalog number
MHI-MN-9547A

Sweet Potato Preserved in Plastic

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1940
ID Number
AG.A.7593
accession number
198812
catalog number
A.7593

Miner’s Cap Lamp

This oil-wick cap lamp was made by an unknown maker during the second half of the 19th century. The font contained a mix of fat and oil for fuel, and a wick was inserted into the spout. The resulting flame was much brighter and more efficient than the candles it replaced.
Description (Brief)
This oil-wick cap lamp was made by an unknown maker during the second half of the 19th century. The font contained a mix of fat and oil for fuel, and a wick was inserted into the spout. The resulting flame was much brighter and more efficient than the candles it replaced. The hook enabled the lamp to be worn on a cap, or hooked onto any other suitable location. This lamp has the inscription “J.C. MARSHALL'S PATENT JAN 4th 1876” on one side, and "CHARLES WAGNER" on the other.
ID Number
AG.MHI-MN-9643
catalog number
MHI-MN-9643
accession number
288162

Eureka Springs, Arkansas

Stereograph by J.W. Hansard. View of Eureka Springs, Arkansas, a cliff face, with running water. Written in ink on verso: "The famous Eureka Spring, Eureka, Ark. 1880." Printed on verso: "J.W.
Description (Brief)
Stereograph by J.W. Hansard. View of Eureka Springs, Arkansas, a cliff face, with running water. Written in ink on verso: "The famous Eureka Spring, Eureka, Ark. 1880." Printed on verso: "J.W. Hansard, / Portrait and Landscape / Photographer / Fayetteville, Ark." and "Eureka Springs No. 20".
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1880
maker
Hansard, John W.
ID Number
2012.3033.0003
nonaccession number
2012.3033
catalog number
2012.3033.0003

Miner's Carbide Lamp

This is Auto-Lite Carbide Mining Lamp was 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 Auto-Lite Carbide Mining Lamp was 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-MN-7731
accession number
234625
catalog number
MHI-MN-7731

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