Transportation

Americans have always been a people on the move—on rails, roads, and waterways (for travel through the air, visit the National Air and Space Museum). In the transportation collections, railroad objects range from tools, tracks, and many train models to the massive 1401, a 280-ton locomotive built in 1926. Road vehicles include coaches, buggies, wagons, trucks, motorcycles, bicycles, and automobiles—from the days before the Model T to modern race cars. The accessories of travel are part of the collections, too, from streetlights, gas pumps, and traffic signals to goggles and overcoats.

In the maritime collections, more than 7,000 design plans and scores of ship models show the evolution of sailing ships and other vessels. Other items range from scrimshaw, photographs, and marine paintings to life jackets from the Titanic.

Beginning in the early 1960s, American auto manufacturers responded to a wave of imported compacts and subcompacts that reached 20 percent of domestic new car sales by 1971.
Description
Beginning in the early 1960s, American auto manufacturers responded to a wave of imported compacts and subcompacts that reached 20 percent of domestic new car sales by 1971. The Chevrolet Corvair, Ford Falcon, and Plymouth Valiant were introduced in 1960, followed by the AMC Gremlin in 1970 and Ford Pinto in 1971. General Motors introduced the Vega as a 1971 model. Like other domestic small cars, the Vega was attractive and handled well, but mechanical quality and reliability were disappointing. On early models, the aluminum-alloy engine block overheated and expanded, valves leaked, and body corrosion was a problem. General Motors was able to correct these defects in later model years, and the Vega became a popular model that made money. This turnaround marked a reawakening of the American auto industry to the need to manage design, performance, and quality-control issues and compete more successfully with imported cars.
By the 1970s, many American motorists discovered the advantages of subcompacts and hatchbacks. Convenient, easy to drive, and economical to own and operate, domestic and imported subcompacts offered expanded opportunities for driving, commuting, and carrying goods. Many were used as second cars. The shift to subcompacts made families more mobile, and greater fuel efficiency offset the effects of gasoline shortages and price increases. This 1977 Vega hatchback was Guenther Sommer's second car; he and his wife, Siewchin Yong Sommer, drove a 1967 Pontiac Grand Prix convertible as their primary transportation. Mr. Sommer used this Vega to haul building materials at his home on Long Island. By removing all seats except the driver's seat, he converted the Vega to a small truck and even used it while building a new house. In 2001, he reinstalled the carefully preserved seats and donated the car to the Smithsonian.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1977
maker
General Motors Corporation
ID Number
2001.0168.01
accession number
2001.0168
catalog number
2001.0168.01
Henry Horenstein photographed Hank Williams Jr., the son of legendary singer Hank Williams, leaving his tour bus. Williams Jr. (b. 1949) spent his early career singing his father's songs in his own style.
Description
Henry Horenstein photographed Hank Williams Jr., the son of legendary singer Hank Williams, leaving his tour bus. Williams Jr. (b. 1949) spent his early career singing his father's songs in his own style. After a 1974 suicide attempt and a mountain climbing accident in 1975, he revamped his own image, modeling it after rowdy southern rockers. Later he was considered part of the Outlaw Country Movement.
Location
Currently not on view
negative
1973
print
2003
maker
Horenstein, Henry
ID Number
2003.0169.074
accession number
2003.0169
catalog number
2003.0169.074
Currently on loan
Location
Currently on loan
date made
ca 1970
maker
STP Corporation
ID Number
2017.0091.47
catalog number
2017.0091.47
accession number
2017.0091
The sternwheel river steamer Far West was built at Pittsburgh, Pa. in 1870. Measuring 190’ long and 33’ in beam, the West needed only 20” of water to navigate when unloaded.
Description
The sternwheel river steamer Far West was built at Pittsburgh, Pa. in 1870. Measuring 190’ long and 33’ in beam, the West needed only 20” of water to navigate when unloaded. In extreme shallow water, the two tall spars at the front of the boat could be lowered into the river bottom. With the aid of the capstan and engine power, the vessel could be lifted over sandbars or other obstructions, a bit or “hop” at a time. This practice was called “grasshoppering.”
The Far West spent much of its early career chartered to the U. S. Army supplying remote Army outposts in Montana and the Dakota Territory during the Indian campaigns. In June 1876, Capt. Grant Marsh transported Gen. George Custer’s forces to the Little Big Horn. On June 30, the steamer received news of the Indian victory over Custer. It loaded wounded soldiers from another action and travelled 710 miles down the Missouri in only 54 hours to bring the wounded soldiers and the news of Custer’s loss to Fort Lincoln, Dakota Territory. Nine days later, Capt. Marsh and the Far West steamed back to the Little Big Horn with horses and supplies for the soldiers there.
The Far West hit a snag on the Missouri River near St. Charles, Mo., in October 1883 and was lost.
date made
1977
collected
1977-02-28
maker
John L. Fryant & Co.
ID Number
TR.335811
catalog number
TR*335811
accession number
1977.0629
Longshoremen are the laborers who load and unload cargo ships.
Description
Longshoremen are the laborers who load and unload cargo ships. Since 1937, longshore work on the West Coast of the United States has been performed by members of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU).
This white cotton cap with a visor was worn by its donor, Herb Mills, a member of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union, Local 10, in San Francisco. Mills wore this hat for special union-related events, such as meetings and parades. The cap was made in Korea for “Dorfman Pacific, of Stockton, Califonia.”
Sometimes called the "West Coast Stetson," this type of white cap was worn by West Coast mariners, particularly longshoremen and sailors. Along with black "Frisco" jeans and a "hickory" (blue and white striped) shirt, the soft white cap was once a signature part of "the usual rig" that men wore in part to express their occupational identity. The white cap also served a safety function as they could be spotted even in the dark holds of ships by men on deck who were lifting and lowering heavy slingloads. By the early 1970s longshoremen were required to wear hardhats for safety when working aboard vessels and on the docks. They still wear the "West Coast Stetson," however, at special union meetings and events.
date made
ca 1960
1970s
used date
ca 1970-2001
ID Number
2001.0214.02
catalog number
2001.0214.02
accession number
2001.0214
The sternwheel steamer Valley Belle was built as a packet boat at Harmar, Ohio, in 1883. It measured 127.4’ long by 22.9’ in beam and a shallow 3.4’ in draft.
Description
The sternwheel steamer Valley Belle was built as a packet boat at Harmar, Ohio, in 1883. It measured 127.4’ long by 22.9’ in beam and a shallow 3.4’ in draft. As a packet delivering people, cargo and the mails, the Belle worked for decades along several rivers from the Ohio to the Kanawha in West Virginia. In 1891, the Belle transported 8,320 tons of cargo and 6,241 passengers along the Ohio River.
In 1917, the Valley Belle was operating along the Ohio River between Marietta and Middleport, Ohio. In March 1919 it was purchased by Billy Bryant of the famous showboating family. Bryant had just built a fancy new showboat and needed a larger towboat than they owned to tow it.
The Belle towed Bryant’s New Showboat for several years down the Kanawha, Ohio, Monongahela, Illinois, and Mississippi Rivers before being replaced by a smaller boat. Competition from movie theaters had shortened the range of the showboats, which were forced to go to ever-smaller and more remote towns for willing audiences. The Belle continued to tow on various rivers until 1943, when it sank in the Ohio River at Kanauga, Oh. Its career as a wooden-hulled river steamer in nearly continuous use for 60 years is unmatched.
Date made
1970
ID Number
TR.330213
catalog number
330213
accession number
288672
Tootle was written by Gertrude Crampton with illustrations by Tibor Gergely, published by Golden Press in New York, New York, in 1945, 25th reprint in 1971.Born in Budapest, Hungary into a middle-class Jewish family, Tibor Gergely (1900-1978) was captivated by art and culture at
Description (Brief)

Tootle was written by Gertrude Crampton with illustrations by Tibor Gergely, published by Golden Press in New York, New York, in 1945, 25th reprint in 1971.

Born in Budapest, Hungary into a middle-class Jewish family, Tibor Gergely (1900-1978) was captivated by art and culture at a young age. Known as a graphic illustrator and a caricature artist, Gergely’s early works documented Jewish life before the rise of Hitler. By 1939 the political situation in Europe was dire, and Gergely and his wife immigrated to America. They settled in New York and his love affair with the city never waned. He was enchanted with his new life in a postwar New York that included skyscrapers, rushing traffic and the excitement of life in the big city.

By 1940 Gergely was working for the American Artists and Writers Guild and became a popular illustrator for Little Golden Books, providing drawings for more than seventy books, including illustrations for The Taxi that Hurried, Make Way for the Thruway, Five Little Firemen and Tootle. His portrayals of America's rapidly expanding transportation systems and the recognition of public servants foretold the dramatic social and cultural events that would impact American society in the 1950s.

Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1945
1971
maker
Little Golden Books
ID Number
1992.0634.002
accession number
1992.0634
catalog number
1992.0634.002
In the 1960s, George Hurst designed a 350-pound hydraulic spreader tool to help remove race car drivers from wrecks. He hired Mike Brick to market the device nationwide.
Description
In the 1960s, George Hurst designed a 350-pound hydraulic spreader tool to help remove race car drivers from wrecks. He hired Mike Brick to market the device nationwide. Brick downsized it to 65 pounds and pitched the Hurst Power Rescue Tool to fire departments in the early 1970s as a way to free accident victims from cars. The tool was an instant success because it was faster, safer, more powerful, and easier to use than power saws, pry bars, and blow torches. It acquired the nickname “The Jaws of Life” because of a line in a promotional film. The Carlsbad, New Mexico fire department bought this tool in 1977 and used it until 2012.
Location
Currently on loan
date made
1977
maker
Hurst
ID Number
2012.0110.01
accession number
2012.0110
catalog number
2012.0110.01
Carl and Pearl Butler pose for photographs with fans.Currently not on view
Description
Carl and Pearl Butler pose for photographs with fans.
Location
Currently not on view
negative
1973
print
2003
Associated Name
Butler, Pearl
Butler, Carl
maker
Horenstein, Henry
ID Number
2003.0169.090
accession number
2003.0169
catalog number
2003.0169.090
This gold colored pin features a raised fist holding a cargo hook, the combination of symbols that became associated with the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) in 1971.
Description
This gold colored pin features a raised fist holding a cargo hook, the combination of symbols that became associated with the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) in 1971. The cargo hook is the traditional tool associated with longshoremen—the laborers who load and unload ships—and evokes the rough work of moving heavy cargoes prior to the mechanization of waterfront work. In a nod to their occupational roots, the ILWU longshoremen adopted the fist and cargo hook symbol when they voted to strike in 1971, a strike that centered on their opposition and resistance to elements of a labor contract regarding mechanization.
The 1971 strike grew out of the tumult of the 1960s, when both the ILWU and the shipping companies, represented by the Pacific Maritime Association (PMA), recognized that new technologies would drastically cut the number of cargo-handling jobs. With the introduction of standardized shipping containers and innovations in global communications technologies, the need for gangs of longshoremen to handle individual bags, boxes, pallets, and crates was significantly reduced. While the shipping companies were anxious to adopt containerization with its intermodal capabilities—the same container could be carried by ship, rail, and tractor trailer—the longshoremen were wary of giving any ground on the basic requirement that only members of the ILWU could handle cargo in West Coast ports.
By 1971, general unrest boiled over into a strike that lasted 130 days and affected all commercial ports along the coast. One of the key issues proposed changes in work practices that would allow shipping companies to employ certain longshoremen trained as container crane operators on a permanent basis. Shipping companies had invested heavily in container ships, cranes, and other shoreside facilities, and they wanted to select and train the men who would operate the costly machines, essentially employing them regularly as “steady men.” From the union’s perspective, this proposal would create elite workers within the union, effectively blocking jobs from some members. Union members believed this special treatment violated a core value of the union, which had always stood for the strict rotation of all waterfront jobs among members.
This pin was worn by Local 10 (San Francisco) ILWU longshoreman Herb Mills, who was a strong supporter of the coastwide strike in 1971. The strike resulted in some gains for the shipping companies on the “steady man” issue, but upheld the requirement that all cargoes, including containers, would still be loaded and unloaded in West Coast ports by members of the ILWU.
date made
ca 1971
used date
ca 1971-2001
ID Number
2001.0214.04
catalog number
2001.0214.04
accession number
2001.0214
Currently on loan
Location
Currently on loan
date made
ca 1970
maker
STP Corporation
ID Number
2017.0091.34
catalog number
2017.0091.34
accession number
2017.0091
This is a 1/8-scale model of the tobacco ship Brilliant, a 250-ton vessel built in Virginia in 1775 for British owners.
Description
This is a 1/8-scale model of the tobacco ship Brilliant, a 250-ton vessel built in Virginia in 1775 for British owners. The Brilliant's first and probably only commercial venture from Virginia took place when it set sail for Liverpool, with a full hold of tobacco, in the summer of 1775. Typically the Brilliant would have returned with manufactured goods, but because of growing hostilities between Britain and the colonies, the ship remained in England. Records show that the Brilliant made one voyage to Jamaica and returned to London in 1776. Later that year, the Royal Navy purchased the vessel for just over £3,000 and converted it to a ship of war for service in the American Revolution.
The ship Brilliant had three masts and square-rigged sails. Its lower deck was 89'-3" long, its breadth was 27'-1/2", and the depth of the hold was 12'-2". The ship was built of oak, pine, and cedar. When purchased for war service, the Royal Navy assessed its hull, masts, and yards at £2,143. The cordage, including halyards, sheets, tack, and anchor cables, were assessed at £340. Brilliant's sails, 27 in all, were valued at £143. Five anchors were assessed at £58, while a long boat with a sailing rig and oars was estimated to be worth £45. Other items aboard the Brilliant were inventoried, including block and tackle, metal fittings, iron-bound water casks, hour and minute glasses, compasses, hammocks, an iron fire hearth, and 10 tons of coal.
After its conversion in 1776 as a ship of war in the Royal Navy, the Brilliant was commissioned as the HMS Druid. Its first voyage westbound across the Atlantic was as an escort for a convoy to the West Indies. The vessel served as the Druid until 1779, after which it became the fire ship Blast. In 1783, it was sold out of the service for £940 and, for the next 15 years, the former Virginia tobacco ship served as a whaler in Greenland. The vessel was lost in the Arctic in 1798.
This model was built by Charles and N. David Newcomb of Bolingbroke Marine in Trappe, Md. The model makers began their work in March 1975, scaling every timber to size and making everything out of the same type of wood as the original. They devised miniature rope-making equipment to manufacture the 5,000 feet of rigging and anchor cable required in 20 different sizes. Women from the Newcomb family and the surrounding community made the rigging and sails.
The model makers left the starboard side of the vessel unplanked to reveal the timbering and joinery of the hull and to permit a view of the vessel’s living accommodations in the stern and cargo stowage, complete with tobacco hogsheads.
Date made
1978
ship built
1775
voyage to Jamaica
1776
became a ship of war in Royal Navy
1776
ship lost at sea
1798
maker
Newcomb, Charles J.
Newcomb, N. David
ID Number
TR.335672
catalog number
335672
accession number
1978.0403
The youngest of the three Carter Sisters, Anita began performing with Mother Maybelle and the Carter Family at age four. She performed with her mother and sisters throughout her career, though she found success of her own during the 1950s.
Description
The youngest of the three Carter Sisters, Anita began performing with Mother Maybelle and the Carter Family at age four. She performed with her mother and sisters throughout her career, though she found success of her own during the 1950s. Anita (1933-1999) was the first to record the song "Ring of Fire," written by her sister June (1929-2003). It later became a hit for her brother-in-law Johnny Cash.
Location
Currently not on view
negative
1973
print
2003
maker
Horenstein, Henry
ID Number
2003.0169.078
accession number
2003.0169
catalog number
2003.0169.078
The James R. Barker was built in 1976 by the American Shipbuilding Co. at Lorain, OH for the Interlake Steamship Co. It was named after the head of the Moore-McCormack Steamship Company, which owned Interlake.
Description
The James R. Barker was built in 1976 by the American Shipbuilding Co. at Lorain, OH for the Interlake Steamship Co. It was named after the head of the Moore-McCormack Steamship Company, which owned Interlake. Costing over $43 million, Barker was the third 1000-footer to sail the Great Lakes, and the first built entirely on the Lakes. These big bulk coal and ore carriers were constructed to fit the largest locks connecting the Great Lakes.
Barker's two big 8,000-hp engines turn two 17-1/2-foot propellers, pushing the vessel at a speed of 15.75 knots (18 mph). The ship can transport 59,000 tons of iron ore pellets or 52,000 tons of coal. The self-unloading rig has a 250-foot-long boom that can unload 10,000 tons of ore or 6,000 net tons of coal per hour. By contrast, Interlake’s first bulk carrier, the 1874 wooden-hulled steamer V.H. Ketchum, could carry only 1,700 tons of ore and took nearly twelve days to unload using manual wheelbarrows.
The Barker was still in service in 2009.
Date made
1978
year the James R. Barker was built
1976
built James R. Barker
American Shipbuilding Co.
bought the James R. Barker
Interlake Steamship Co.
maker
Boucher-Lewis Precision Models, Inc.
ID Number
TR.336153
catalog number
336153
accession number
1978.0374
Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1971
maker
Harbutt, Charles
ID Number
PG.72.14.025
Many acts in country music were built around brother duos and family members.Currently not on view
Description
Many acts in country music were built around brother duos and family members.
Location
Currently not on view
negative
1972
print
2003
maker
Horenstein, Henry
ID Number
2003.0169.007
accession number
2003.0169
catalog number
2003.0169.007
Currently on loan
Location
Currently on loan
date made
ca 1970
maker
STP Corporation
ID Number
2017.0091.48
catalog number
2017.0091.48
accession number
2017.0091
Built in 1890 by Belfast shipbuilders Harland & Wolff, the RMS Majestic was designed for luxury ocean travel.
Description
Built in 1890 by Belfast shipbuilders Harland & Wolff, the RMS Majestic was designed for luxury ocean travel. Like its sister ship, the RMS Teutonic, which was launched the previous year, the Majestic was built for the White Star Line’s service between Liverpool and New York.
The interior of the Majestic was opulent. Staterooms featured colored glass screens over the ports, while the smoking room walls were embossed with gilded leather and mahogany panels. Skylights, or lanterns, were installed in the ship’s dining rooms and other common areas. The lantern domes were designed to allow natural light to filter into the Majestic’s interior spaces.
The lantern in the Majestic's first class dining saloon was designed by British architect George Thomas Robinson. It was made up of 56 individual pieces, including eight plaster friezes, leaded stained glass and wood paneling. The plaster friezes depicted the “shipbuilder’s art from the early days of the Spanish Armada to the Battle of Trafalgar.”
When the Majestic was broken up in 1914, parts of the first class dining saloon lantern were sold to a ship salvage company, including the plaster panels. Several of these were paired with a smaller lantern from the ship and installed in the executive board room of Thomas W. Ward Ltd., in Sheffield, England. In the early 1970s, the director of the company donated this lantern and the plaster panels from the Majestic to the Smithsonian. He pointed out that the lantern had been saved three times, once when the ship was broken up and twice during the world wars of the twentieth century. He thought it fitting to donate this survivor to the United States “in memory of the many very gallant merchant seamen . . . who served in the Atlantic during the two World Wars.”
date made
1890
ship was broken up
1914
lantern and panels were donated to the Smithsonian
1970s
architect
Robinson, George Thomas
ID Number
TR.336295
accession number
1978.0206
catalog number
336295
Herb Mills wore this shirt during his career as a member of ILWU Local 10, San Francisco. He joined the union in 1963 and retired in 1992 but is still active in union activities.Longshoremen are the laborers who load and unload cargo ships.
Description
Herb Mills wore this shirt during his career as a member of ILWU Local 10, San Francisco. He joined the union in 1963 and retired in 1992 but is still active in union activities.
Longshoremen are the laborers who load and unload cargo ships. Since 1937, longshore work on the West Coast of the United States has been performed by members of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU). The union was formed to end favoritism, bribery, low wages, and other abuses of power that had long plagued the management of work on the waterfront. It was also established as a body to represent longshoremen during negotiations with shipping companies over contracts, work rules, and related issues.
By the 1960s, both the ILWU and the shipping companies, represented by the Pacific Maritime Association (PMA), recognized that new technologies would drastically cut the number of cargo-handling jobs. With the introduction of standardized shipping containers and innovations in global communications technologies, the need for gangs of longshoremen to handle individual bags, boxes, pallets, and crates was significantly reduced. While the shipping companies were anxious to adopt containerization with its intermodal capabilities—the same container could be carried by ship, rail, and tractor trailer—the longshoremen were wary of giving any ground on the basic requirement that only members of the ILWU could handle cargo in West Coast ports.
By 1971, general unrest boiled over into a strike that lasted 130 days and affected all commercial ports along the coast. One of the key issues was a proposal from the shipping companies to employ certain longshoremen trained as container crane operators on a permanent basis. Shipping companies had invested heavily in container ships, cranes, and other shoreside facilities, and they wanted to select and train the men who would operate the costly machines, essentially employing them regularly as “steady men.” From the union’s perspective, this proposal would create elite workers within the union, effectively blocking jobs from some members. Union members believed this special treatment violated a core value of the union, which had always stood for the strict rotation of all waterfront jobs among members.
date made
ca 1970
used date
ca 1970-2001
ID Number
2001.0214.01
accession number
2001.0214
catalog number
2001.0214.01
This round metal button measures 1-1/2" in diameter and has a pin and clasp on the back. The blue lettering: "I'M FOR A LONGSHORE VICTORY IN 1971" is set against a yellow background. The name of the manufacturer appears along the button’s edge: "BUTTON WORKS / 300 BROAD ST.
Description
This round metal button measures 1-1/2" in diameter and has a pin and clasp on the back. The blue lettering: "I'M FOR A LONGSHORE VICTORY IN 1971" is set against a yellow background. The name of the manufacturer appears along the button’s edge: "BUTTON WORKS / 300 BROAD ST. / NEVADA CITY, CA 95359."
Longshoremen are the laborers who load and unload cargo ships. Since 1937, longshore work on the West Coast of the United States has been performed by members of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU). The union was formed to end favoritism, bribery, low wages, and other abuses of power that had long plagued the management of work on the waterfront. It was also established as a body to represent longshoremen during negotiations with shipping companies over contracts, work rules, and related issues.
By the 1960s, both the ILWU and the shipping companies, represented by the Pacific Maritime Association (PMA), recognized that new technologies would drastically cut the number of cargo-handling jobs. With the introduction of standardized shipping containers and innovations in global communications technologies, the need for gangs of longshoremen to handle individual bags, boxes, pallets, and crates was significantly reduced. While the shipping companies were anxious to adopt containerization with its intermodal capabilities—the same container could be carried by ship, rail, and tractor trailer—the longshoremen were wary of giving any ground on the basic requirement that only members of the ILWU could handle cargo in West Coast ports.
By 1971, general unrest boiled over into a strike that lasted 130 days and affected all commercial ports along the coast. One of the key issues was a proposal from the shipping companies to employ certain longshoremen trained as container crane operators on a permanent basis. Shipping companies had invested heavily in container ships, cranes, and other shoreside facilities, and they wanted to select and train the men who would operate the costly machines, essentially employing them regularly as “steady men.” From the union’s perspective, this proposal would create elite workers within the union, effectively blocking jobs from some members. Union members believed this special treatment violated a core value of the union, which had always stood for the strict rotation of all waterfront jobs among members.
This political button was worn by Local 10 (San Francisco) ILWU longshoreman Herb Mills, who was a strong supporter of the coastwide strike in 1971. The strike resulted in some gains for the shipping companies on the “steady man” issue, but upheld the requirement that all cargoes, including containers, would still be loaded and unloaded in West Coast ports by members of the ILWU.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1971
used date
1971
ID Number
2002.3003.01
nonaccession number
2002.3003
catalog number
2002.3003.01
The Mississippi River sidewheel steamboat J.M. White was built at Jeffersonville, Ind., in 1878 for the Greenville and New Orleans Packet Company. Measuring 321’ long and 91’ in beam across the paddlebox guards, the White only sat 10’-6” deep in the water when fully laden.
Description
The Mississippi River sidewheel steamboat J.M. White was built at Jeffersonville, Ind., in 1878 for the Greenville and New Orleans Packet Company. Measuring 321’ long and 91’ in beam across the paddlebox guards, the White only sat 10’-6” deep in the water when fully laden. The steamboat was designed for Mississippi River packet service between New Orleans, La., and Greenville, Miss.
The White was one of the largest, most expensive, luxurious, and most powerful river steamers ever built, with 2,800 horsepower and a capacity of 250 first-class passengers and 10,000 bales of cotton. Named after famous riverboat captain J. M. White (1823–1880), the “supreme triumph in cotton boat architecture” was a masterpiece of the gaudy, glamorous style known as “steamboat Gothic.” It had multiple bridal chambers; stained glass skylights and windows; rare wood veneers and gilded finishes; seven gilded “Egyptian-style” chandeliers; a sterling silver Tiffany water cooler in the 250’-long main cabin; monogrammed flatware and china; and a full concert grand piano.
The White spent most of its eight-year career in service on the Mississippi River between New Orleans and Vicksburg, Miss. Despite its economy of size, the White’s high initial $220,000 cost, a spotty economy, and the rapidly expanding railroad network made the steamboat unprofitable. It caught fire, blew up, and burned to the waterline at a Louisiana landing in December 1886, killing several aboard.
Date made
1974
built
1878
used date
late 19th century
ID Number
TR.334847
catalog number
334847
accession number
315419
More than a daredevil, Evel Knievel combined sportsmanship and show business to become one of the most famous performers in America. The perils of his sport—making a motorcycle "fly" over a row of vehicles—clearly were not for the average rider.
Description
More than a daredevil, Evel Knievel combined sportsmanship and show business to become one of the most famous performers in America. The perils of his sport—making a motorcycle "fly" over a row of vehicles—clearly were not for the average rider. Many of his jumps were successful; but in some spectacular crashes, Knievel fractured 35 to 40 bones. His visually stunning, suspenseful performances were perfectly suited to television and were especially exciting because of the chance that he might crash.
Knievel's shows were a celebration of America's love affair with motor vehicles. His pre-jump show featured motorcycle "wheelies" and off-beat vehicles, and he jumped almost exclusively over rows of automobiles, trucks, and buses. By performing at stadiums and coliseums, Knievel perpetuated the tradition of live thrill shows for local audiences. But national and international media coverage of his jumps placed him in a league with some of the world's best-known entertainers.
Knievel rode this motorcycle during some of his most spectacular jumps. By carefully coordinating his angle, thrust, and speed, which reached 90 to 100 miles per hour at takeoff, he remained in the air for as far as 165 feet. He chose (and customized) this motorcycle, a 1972 Harley-Davidson XR-750, because it was a light, dependable racing machine. Made of steel, aluminum, and fiberglass, it weighs approximately 300 pounds.
Location
Currently on loan
Date made
1972
user
Knievel, Evel
maker
Harley-Davidson
ID Number
1994.0306.01
accession number
1994.0306
catalog number
1994.0306.01
The Kawasaki Motors Corporation produced this KZ900 C-2 Police Model motorcycle in the company’s U.S. plant in Lincoln, Nebraska in 1976. The model was designed in cooperation with Kawasaki, police departments, and the automotive designer and race car driver Dan Gurney.
Description
The Kawasaki Motors Corporation produced this KZ900 C-2 Police Model motorcycle in the company’s U.S. plant in Lincoln, Nebraska in 1976. The model was designed in cooperation with Kawasaki, police departments, and the automotive designer and race car driver Dan Gurney. The California Highway Patrol has used different makes of motorcycles. The department purchased Kawasaki motorcycles during the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s. The last CHP Kawasaki debuted in 1999. The California Highway Patrol donated the motorcycle to the Smithsonian Institution for the "America on the Move" exhibit.
date made
1976
used date
1976-1990
maker
Kawasaki Motors Corporation
ID Number
2003.3094.01
catalog number
2003.3094.01
accession number
2003.3094
Crash test dummies for cars were introduced in the 1950s at universities, where scientists and scholars tested theories of motorist restraint and protection, “packaging the passenger” with seat belts and other safety devices.
Description
Crash test dummies for cars were introduced in the 1950s at universities, where scientists and scholars tested theories of motorist restraint and protection, “packaging the passenger” with seat belts and other safety devices. By the late 1960s, independent firms supplied crash test dummies to automobile manufacturers, who had to prove that they were in compliance with new federal seat belt regulations and standards. Dummies were fitted with internal sensing devices that measured and recorded impact. General Motors was not satisfied with dummies placed on the market, and in 1972 GM designed the Hybrid II, so named because it combined the best features of Alderson VIP and Sierra dummies, with some original GM component designs. Unlike previous dummies, Hybrid II provided consistent results under similar conditions. Hybrid II also had a human-like slouch, a rubber neck instead of ball-and-socket, and well defined knee-leg action. GM shared its design with competitors and dummy manufacturers. In 1973, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration certified Hybrid II as the only dummy approved for seat belt compliance testing.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1973-1977
maker
Sierra Engineering Company
ID Number
2008.0152.01
catalog number
2008.0152.01
accession number
2008.0152

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