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.

The Bonney-Vehslage Tool Co. made this ticket punch that was used on the Southern Railway's Murphy Branch line during the 1920s. This punch makes an “L” shaped hole in the ticket.
Description
The Bonney-Vehslage Tool Co. made this ticket punch that was used on the Southern Railway's Murphy Branch line during the 1920s. This punch makes an “L” shaped hole in the ticket. A conductor's punch cancelled the passenger's ticket stub and also cancelled the main portion of the ticket retained by the conductor. Each conductor had his own punch, which made a specifically shaped hole. The hole shape differed from punch to punch. In this way, if a passenger presented a stub and claimed his ticket had already been taken, a conductor could verify who in fact cancelled the ticket. A railroad conductor on a passenger train was (and is today) the supervising officer of the train and supervisor of the entire train crew. In addition to this supervisory role, the passenger-train conductor serves as the pursar, in charge of seeing to it that all fares are collected.
date made
ca 1920
ca. 1920
associated dates
1910 / 1910
used date
1920-1940
user
Southern Railway
ID Number
1990.0119.01
catalog number
1990.0119.01
accession number
1990.0119
Ira Wertman, a farmer in Andreas, Pennsylvania, raised fruits and vegetables and peddled them with this truck to retired coal miners near Allentown. He also used the truck to take produce to market and haul supplies from town to the farm.
Description
Ira Wertman, a farmer in Andreas, Pennsylvania, raised fruits and vegetables and peddled them with this truck to retired coal miners near Allentown. He also used the truck to take produce to market and haul supplies from town to the farm. Pickup trucks have been versatile aids to a wide range of agricultural, personal, and business activities. Early pickup trucks were modified automobiles, but postwar models were larger, more powerful, and able to carry heavier loads. Some postwar pickups were used in building suburban communities. Others were used for recreational purposes such as camping, hunting, and fishing. By the 1990s, many people purchased pickups for everyday driving.
date made
1949
maker
General Motors Corporation
ID Number
1999.0057.01
accession number
1999.0057
catalog number
1999.0057.01
The Hamons family business exemplifies the culture of roadside communities that sprang up as long-distance automobile travel increased. Carl and Lucille Hamons lived on Carl's mother's farm until the late 1930s, when they moved to the town of Hydro, Oklahoma.
Description
The Hamons family business exemplifies the culture of roadside communities that sprang up as long-distance automobile travel increased. Carl and Lucille Hamons lived on Carl's mother's farm until the late 1930s, when they moved to the town of Hydro, Oklahoma. In 1941 they used Carl's inheritance to purchase a gasoline station with seven tourist cabins at Provine, a sparsely settled crossroads on Route 66 one mile southwest of Hydro. Neighboring businesses included a Texaco station and the Hill Top Café. Carl drove a truck for a living, and Lucille operated the gas station and cabins. They lived in the second story of the gas station; Lucille prepared breakfast and sandwiches for travelers on a hotplate in the first story. Lucille lived in the gas station until her death in 2000.
Social interaction in communities like Provine differed greatly from traditional villages. Strangers on the move were brought together briefly in a remote, ephemeral setting. This was a culture of mobility; motor travel was the only reason for Provine's existence. In her autobiography, Lucille describes the isolation of her gas station home, her frequent interaction with travelers on Route 66, and her travel-oriented duties and services in addition to running the gas station and cabins. She helped travelers in financial straits by accepting objects for payment or by purchasing their cars and putting the travelers on a bus. During World War II, when rubber and metal were in short supply, she sold tires and parts stripped from the used cars that she had bought.
Lucille witnessed the second wave of migration on Route 66 in the early 1940s, when midwesterners sought defense jobs in California, as well as postwar vacation trips and household moves. In recent years, as interest in the historical and cultural aspects of Route 66 has grown, Mrs. Hamons has been celebrated as the "Mother of the Mother Road." Her gas station was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1997. Cheryl Hamons Nowka, who was born in the second story of the gas station, created a Lucille Hamons web site in the mid-1990s.
date made
1941
maker
Gillingham Sign Company, Weatherford, Oklahoma
ID Number
2001.0327.01
accession number
2001.0327
Original artwork, of page 41, for the book Tootle, written by Gertrude Crampton with illustrations by Tibor Gergely, published by Golden Press in New York, New York, in 1945.Born in Budapest, Hungary into a middle-class Jewish family, Tibor Gergely (1900-1978) was captivated by a
Description (Brief)

Original artwork, of page 41, for the book Tootle, written by Gertrude Crampton with illustrations by Tibor Gergely, published by Golden Press in New York, New York, in 1945.

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
maker
Gergely, Tibor
ID Number
1992.0634.066.16
accession number
1992.0634
catalog number
1992.0634.066.16
By 1943, the outlook for an Allied victory in World War II was steadily improving. The reign of the U-boats that had plagued Allied convoys in the Battle of the Atlantic was coming to an end.
Description
By 1943, the outlook for an Allied victory in World War II was steadily improving. The reign of the U-boats that had plagued Allied convoys in the Battle of the Atlantic was coming to an end. And the Axis powers were finally losing the tonnage war, which aimed to sink Allied merchant ships faster than replacements could be built. While the mass-produced Liberty ships were faithfully carrying cargo and troops to war zones, these ships were relatively slow. In response, the War Shipping Administration commissioned a new class of emergency vessels called Victory ships. This model represents one of the 534 Victory ships that were built alongside the Liberty ships in seven shipyards around the country.
Speed was the key difference between the Victory and Liberty ships. When Liberty ships were designed, all of the new steam turbine engines were reserved for naval vessels, leaving the Liberty ships with reciprocating steam engines. While these engines were reliable, the ships could only reach 11 knots, leaving them vulnerable to attack. As the war progressed, more turbine engines became available and were installed in the Victory ships, giving them a speed of over 16 knots.
Another improvement of the Victory design was a stronger and larger hull. This meant that more cargo could be transported at once, and improved the odds of the vessels continuing to serve in the merchant fleet during times of peace. After World War II, 170 Victory ships were sold as commercial freighters. About 20 were loaned back to the military and used in the Korean and Vietnam Wars. Several Victory ships have been preserved as museum ships and are currently located in California and Florida.
date made
early 1940s
commissioned Victory ships like the ones this model represents
War Shipping Administration
ID Number
TR.313023
catalog number
TR*313023
accession number
170015
In the late 1940s, Preston Tucker introduced a novel car with advanced safety features and futuristic styling. The Tucker Corporation obtained a factory and raised start-up money by selling stock and dealer franchises.
Description
In the late 1940s, Preston Tucker introduced a novel car with advanced safety features and futuristic styling. The Tucker Corporation obtained a factory and raised start-up money by selling stock and dealer franchises. Consumers purchased Tucker car radios and luggage as a way to reserve a car. This luggage was owned by Carl Woerz, a prospective Tucker dealer in Reno, Nevada. Tucker’s unorthodox fundraising methods caused the federal government to investigate his corporation on suspicion of fraud. Lawsuits and a grand jury indictment further eroded confidence. Tucker lost his factory and his dream of mass-producing “the first totally new car in 50 years.”
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1948
ID Number
2009.0125.01
catalog number
2009.0125.01
accession number
2009.0125
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
Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1940s
ID Number
2013.0327.1044
accession number
2013.0327
catalog number
2013.0327.1044
Original artwork, of page 19, for the book Tootle, written by Gertrude Crampton with illustrations by Tibor Gergely, published by Golden Press in New York, New York, in 1945.Born in Budapest, Hungary into a middle-class Jewish family, Tibor Gergely (1900-1978) was captivated by a
Description (Brief)

Original artwork, of page 19, for the book Tootle, written by Gertrude Crampton with illustrations by Tibor Gergely, published by Golden Press in New York, New York, in 1945.

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
maker
Gergely, Tibor
ID Number
1992.0634.066.07
accession number
1992.0634
catalog number
1992.0634.066.07
The Scovill Manufacturing Company of Waterbury, Connecticut produced this transportation token during the 1930s. 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 transportation token during the 1930s. 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, medals, coins, and transportation tokens. There are four cut-out pieces in the center of the token, leaving a cross in the center that has various engravings on it.
Obverse: The legend reads: EAST BAY STREET RAILWAYS LTD
Reverse: The legend reads: GOOD FOR ONE FARE
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1930
referenced
East Bay Street Railways, Ltd.
maker
Scovill Manufacturing Company
ID Number
1981.0296.1366
accession number
1981.0296
catalog number
1981.0296.1366
The Scovill Manufacturing Company of Waterbury, Connecticut produced this transportation token in 1947. 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 transportation token in 1947. 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, medals, coins, and transportation tokens. There is a K in the center of the token.
Obverse: The legend reads: KEY SYSTEM OAKLAND/1947
Reverse: The legend reads: GOOD FOR ONE/LOCAL FARE
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1947
maker
Scovill Manufacturing Company
ID Number
1981.0296.1401
accession number
1981.0296
catalog number
1981.0296.1401
The Scovill Manufacturing Company of Waterbury, Connecticut produced this transportation token in 1945. 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 transportation token in 1945. 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, medals, coins, and transportation tokens. The center of the token is punched out to form the shape of a “K.”
Obverse: The legend reads: KEY SYSTEM OAKLAND/1945
Reverse: The legend reads: GOOD FOR ONE/LOCAL FARE
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1945
referenced
Key System Transit Co.
maker
Scovill Manufacturing Company
ID Number
1981.0296.1402
accession number
1981.0296
catalog number
1981.0296.1402
Original artwork, of page 40, for the book Tootle, written by Gertrude Crampton with illustrations by Tibor Gergely, published by Golden Press in New York, New York, in 1945.Born in Budapest, Hungary into a middle-class Jewish family, Tibor Gergely (1900-1978) was captivated by a
Description (Brief)

Original artwork, of page 40, for the book Tootle, written by Gertrude Crampton with illustrations by Tibor Gergely, published by Golden Press in New York, New York, in 1945.

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
maker
Gergely, Tibor
ID Number
1992.0634.066.15
accession number
1992.0634
catalog number
1992.0634.066.15
This 1/8 inch scale model of the Newark was donated to the Smithsonian in 1969. The model shows the containership loaded with standard shipping containers stacked on deck.
Description
This 1/8 inch scale model of the Newark was donated to the Smithsonian in 1969. The model shows the containership loaded with standard shipping containers stacked on deck. The stack of the ship is marked with the Sea-Land insignia and the containers are all marked with the Sea-Land logo.
The Newark was built as a C-4 troopship by the Kaiser Co., Inc., at Richmond, California, in 1945, the vessel was launched as the General H. B. Freeman. In 1968 it was owned by the Containership Chartering Service, of Wilmington, Delaware, and converted to a containership at Todd Shipyards Corporation, in Galveston, Texas. Renamed Newark, it joined a fleet of "trailerships" operated by Sea-Land Service, Inc., for hauling freight. The reference to "trailers" reflects the background of Sea-Land's founder, trucking entrepreneur Malcom McLean, whose early experiments with loading truck trailers on ships are acknowledged as the advent of modern intermodal, containerized transportation.
date made
1968
used date
1945
ID Number
TR.329680
catalog number
329680
accession number
283578
This bus carried rural children to the Martinsburg, Indiana school in the 1940s. Busing enabled children to attend consolidated schools, which were larger than one-room schools and had better curricula, teachers, and facilities.
Description
This bus carried rural children to the Martinsburg, Indiana school in the 1940s. Busing enabled children to attend consolidated schools, which were larger than one-room schools and had better curricula, teachers, and facilities. All-steel school buses like this one were safer than earlier school buses, which had wooden bodies. The paint color, double deep orange, was common at the time, but yellow later became the standard color for school buses. This body was built by Carpenter Body Works of Mitchell, Indiana in 1936 and later was attached to a 1939 Dodge chassis.
date made
ca 1936-1939
used date
1936-1946
maker
Carpenter Body Works, Inc.
Dodge Manufacturing Company
ID Number
1982.0600.01
accession number
1982.0600
catalog number
1982.0600.01
Original artwork, of page 25, for the book Tootle, written by Gertrude Crampton with illustrations by Tibor Gergely, published by Golden Press in New York, New York, in 1945.Born in Budapest, Hungary into a middle-class Jewish family, Tibor Gergely (1900-1978) was captivated by a
Description (Brief)

Original artwork, of page 25, for the book Tootle, written by Gertrude Crampton with illustrations by Tibor Gergely, published by Golden Press in New York, New York, in 1945.

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
maker
Gergely, Tibor
ID Number
1992.0634.066.08
accession number
1992.0634
catalog number
1992.0634.066.08
Original artwork, of page 28, for the book Tootle, written by Gertrude Crampton with illustrations by Tibor Gergely, published by Golden Press in New York, New York, in 1945.Born in Budapest, Hungary into a middle-class Jewish family, Tibor Gergely (1900-1978) was captivated by a
Description (Brief)

Original artwork, of page 28, for the book Tootle, written by Gertrude Crampton with illustrations by Tibor Gergely, published by Golden Press in New York, New York, in 1945.

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
maker
Gergely, Tibor
ID Number
1992.0634.066.09
accession number
1992.0634
catalog number
1992.0634.066.09
Original artwork, of page 9, for the book Tootle, written by Gertrude Crampton with illustrations by Tibor Gergely, published by Golden Press in New York, New York, in 1945.Born in Budapest, Hungary into a middle-class Jewish family, Tibor Gergely (1900-1978) was captivated by ar
Description (Brief)

Original artwork, of page 9, for the book Tootle, written by Gertrude Crampton with illustrations by Tibor Gergely, published by Golden Press in New York, New York, in 1945.

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
maker
Gergely, Tibor
ID Number
1992.0634.066.04
accession number
1992.0634
catalog number
1992.0634.066.04
Although dry cargo freighters like the Liberty and Victory ships are probably the best-known emergency vessels of World War II, oil tankers were also mass produced in American shipyards and played an important role in the Allied victory.
Description
Although dry cargo freighters like the Liberty and Victory ships are probably the best-known emergency vessels of World War II, oil tankers were also mass produced in American shipyards and played an important role in the Allied victory. This model represents the most common type of tanker, T2-SE-A1, a commercial design that before the war started was already being constructed by the Sun Shipbuilding Company for Standard Oil. After the attack on Pearl Harbor, the United States Maritime Commission recognized that wet cargo like oil and machine lubricants would be just as necessary as guns and ammunition. The commission ordered this design to be built, in addition to the dry cargo designs.
Like the Victory ship, the T2 tanker was outfitted with a steam turbine engine that gave the vessel a speed of over 14 knots. Tankers were also built at some of the same shipyards as the other merchant vessels, and experienced a similar construction time average of about 70 days. But unlike the Victory or Liberty ships, no T2 tankers have survived to become museum ships, and only one remains afloat in the National Defense Reserve Fleet, mothballed in Beaumont, Texas.
date made
early 1940s
built tankers typical to this model
Sun Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company
purchased tankers typical to this model
Standard Oil
ID Number
TR.313036
catalog number
313036
accession number
173712
Soon after the United States entered World War II, the federal government decided that bicycles should be brought under consumer manufacturing guidelines so that they might support conservation efforts, local transportation, and the war production work force.
Description
Soon after the United States entered World War II, the federal government decided that bicycles should be brought under consumer manufacturing guidelines so that they might support conservation efforts, local transportation, and the war production work force. A series of orders reduced bicycle design to bare essentials, limited metal and rubber content, set output quotas, promoted the use of bicycles among adult civilians, allocated bicycles for military use, and suspended production of children's bicycles, which comprised 85 percent of the prewar market. These measures were designed to conserve rubber and metals needed for war materiel and complement gasoline and automobile tire rationing by providing an alternate form of transportation for war production workers and other workers.
In December 1941, the Office of Production Management and leading manufacturers developed specifications for a simplified bicycle dubbed the "Victory bicycle" by government and media. OPM reviewed several prototypes submitted for examination. Regulations finalized in March 1942 specified that bicycles would be lightweight - not more than 31 pounds, about two-thirds the weight of prewar bicycles - and they would be made of steel only, with no copper or nickel parts. Chrome plating was limited to a few small pieces of hardware. Handlebars and wheel rims would be painted instead of chrome plated, and most accessories (chain guard, basket, luggage rack, bell, whitewall tires) were eliminated. Tire size was limited to a width of 1.375 inches, narrower than balloon tires on prewar children's bikes. Production was set at 750,000 Victory bicycles per year by twelve manufacturers, approximately 40 percent of total prewar production but a significant increase in annual production of adult bicycles. The manufacture of all other types of civilian bicycles was halted.
As a prelude to rationing, the federal government imposed a freeze on bicycle sales and allocated almost 10,000 bikes to war production plants for use by workers and messengers. By July 1942 the Office of Price Administration estimated that 150,000 Victory bicycles and 90,000 prewar bikes were available for retail sale. OPA rationed new and prewar men's and women's bicycles. Any adult who was gainfully employed or contributed in some way to the war effort or public welfare could purchase a bicycle if she or he could cite a compelling reason, such as inadequate public transportation, excessive walking, or responsibility for a delivery service. In August 1942 eligibility was further restricted to persons in critical occupations, including physicians, nurses, druggists, ministers, school teachers, mail carriers, firefighters, police officers, construction workers, delivery personnel, public safety officers, and others. By the summer of 1942, American Bicyclist and Motorcyclist reported that thousands of war production workers were riding bicycles to their jobs, and new and used bikes were in great demand. Some companies owned fleets of bicycles for work-related uses such as reading electric meters.
Pauline Anderson of Norwalk, Connecticut was hired as a mathematics teacher at Norwalk High School in the fall of 1942 and purchased a Victory bicycle shortly thereafter. She lived with her parents, George and Flora Anderson, in a residential neighborhood two miles from downtown Norwalk. Pauline married Walter Dudding on November 26, 1942 but continued to live with her parents while her husband was serving in the Coast Guard. Mrs. Dudding rode the bicycle on errands and pleasure trips in the Norwalk area. It was a good form of supplemental transportation, but she didn't commute to work on the bike; she rode a bus or shared a ride with her father, who owned an automotive sales and repair shop in downtown Norwalk. The high school also was located downtown.
Pauline Dudding's bicycle has all the features of a 1942 Victory bicycle. The handlebars have black paint instead of chrome plating, and the wheel rims are painted a tan color. The frame is painted red, white and blue. In keeping with a War Production Board order, there is no nameplate or other brand identification other than the letter "H" (for Huffman) stamped on the bottom of the crankcase beside the serial number. In September 1942 the number of authorized Victory bicycle manufacturers was reduced from twelve to two, and the WPB decided that "no firm left in a business from which others are excluded shall be permitted to spread its name over the land and in foreign countries" (Wall Street Journal, September 3, 1942).
date made
1942
maker
Huffman Manufacturing Company
ID Number
2006.0183.01
accession number
2006.0183
catalog number
2006.0183.01
The 140’-long sternwheel ferry Kiwanis was built at Dubuque, Iowa in 1923. Owned by the Cairo City Ferry Company, the Kiwanis operated locally between Dubuque and Birds Point, Mo. until a bridge across the Mississippi River at that location put the line out of business.
Description
The 140’-long sternwheel ferry Kiwanis was built at Dubuque, Iowa in 1923. Owned by the Cairo City Ferry Company, the Kiwanis operated locally between Dubuque and Birds Point, Mo. until a bridge across the Mississippi River at that location put the line out of business. Across from Cairo, Ill., Birds Point had been a major river and railroad crossroads for cotton in the 19th century.
The Kiwanis was bought by Cincinnati’s Greene Line Steamers in 1930 and operated as a cargo freighter transporting agricultural and manufactured products up and down the Ohio River between Cincinnati and Huntington, W. Va. from 1933 to 1943. In 1936, it was rebuilt and renamed Evergreene.
The Evergreene was sold in 1943 to Cincinnati riverboat captain John Beatty. In 1948 it was bought by the Merchant Paving Company and became a sand dredge. It later sank near Louisville, Ky. and was dismantled.
This wheel is from the Kiwanis’s original CCFC service as a Mississippi River ferry. Standing high above the vessel’s deck, the river pilot steered by standing to one side of the wheel or the other.
date made
1923
ID Number
TR.336870
accession number
1979.0314
catalog number
TR*336870
Original artwork, of page 5, for the book Tootle, written by Gertrude Crampton with illustrations by Tibor Gergely, published by Golden Press in New York, New York, in 1945.Born in Budapest, Hungary into a middle-class Jewish family, Tibor Gergely (1900-1978) was captivated by ar
Description (Brief)

Original artwork, of page 5, for the book Tootle, written by Gertrude Crampton with illustrations by Tibor Gergely, published by Golden Press in New York, New York, in 1945.

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
maker
Gergely, Tibor
ID Number
1992.0634.066.02
accession number
1992.0634
catalog number
1992.0634.066.02
Original artwork, of page 8, for the book Tootle, written by Gertrude Crampton with illustrations by Tibor Gergely, published by Golden Press in New York, New York, in 1945.Born in Budapest, Hungary into a middle-class Jewish family, Tibor Gergely (1900-1978) was captivated by ar
Description (Brief)

Original artwork, of page 8, for the book Tootle, written by Gertrude Crampton with illustrations by Tibor Gergely, published by Golden Press in New York, New York, in 1945.

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
maker
Gergely, Tibor
ID Number
1992.0634.066.03
accession number
1992.0634
catalog number
1992.0634.066.03
Original artwork, of page 36, for the book Tootle, written by Gertrude Crampton with illustrations by Tibor Gergely, published by Golden Press in New York, New York, in 1945.Born in Budapest, Hungary into a middle-class Jewish family, Tibor Gergely (1900-1978) was captivated by a
Description (Brief)

Original artwork, of page 36, for the book Tootle, written by Gertrude Crampton with illustrations by Tibor Gergely, published by Golden Press in New York, New York, in 1945.

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
maker
Gergely, Tibor
ID Number
1992.0634.066.13
accession number
1992.0634
catalog number
1992.0634.066.13

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