Transportation

1955 Ford Country Squire

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.

Topic: Transportation

Rollin Motor Company Radiator Emblem

This radiator emblem belonged to a Rollin automobile that was manufactured by the Rollin Motors Company of Cleveland, Ohio in 1924 and 1925.
Description
This radiator emblem belonged to a Rollin automobile that was manufactured by the Rollin Motors Company of Cleveland, Ohio in 1924 and 1925. Rollin Henry White has already had a successful career in the automotive field thanks to his involvement in the family’s White Motor Corporation, and his Cleveland Tractor Company business. In 1924 Rollin decided to launch his Rollin automobile, but the company only survived until 1925. The car had a four-cylinder engine and was offered in a variety of body models on a 112-inch wheelbase. The emblem has a large “R” at the top with the raised text “ROLLIN” below.
Radiator emblems are small, colorful metal plates bearing an automobile manufacturer's name or logo that attached to the radiators grilles of early automobiles. Varying in shape and size, the emblems served as a small branding device, sometimes indicating the type of engine, place of manufacturing, or using an iconic image or catchy slogan to advertise their cars make and model. This emblem is part of the collection that was donated by Hubert G. Larson in 1964.
Location
Currently not on view
ID Number
TR.325528.209
accession number
260303
catalog number
325528.209

Pitcher, "Jacob Knight"

This large creamware pitcher is decorated with maritime-themed images on both sides. One side depicts a shipyard in the process of building a ship while another ship sails away in the background.
Description
This large creamware pitcher is decorated with maritime-themed images on both sides. One side depicts a shipyard in the process of building a ship while another ship sails away in the background. The other side features the image of the now-built ship under sail flying the American flag. Under the spout a medallion features the name “Jacob Knight” in the center. Robert H. McCauley purchased this pitcher from Joseph Kindig of York, PA on August 5, 1938 for $85.00. This pitcher was previously part of the antiques collections of Mrs. G. Winthrop Brown and William Randolph Hearst. In Liverpool Transfer Designs on Anglo-American Potter McCauley attributes the piece to Jacob Knight, a shipbuilder from Portland, Maine who perhaps commissioned this piece to reflect his business. The transfer-print features color on the American flag.
This pitcher is part of the McCauley collection of American themed transfer print pottery. There is no mark on the pitcher to tell us who made it, but it is characteristic of wares made in large volume for the American market in both Staffordshire and Liverpool between 1790 and 1820. Pitchers of this shape, with a cream colored glaze over a pale earthenware clay, known as Liverpool type, were the most common vessels to feature transfer prints with subjects commemorating events and significant figures in the early decades of United States’ history. Notwithstanding the tense relationship between Britain and America, Liverpool and Staffordshire printers and potters seized the commercial opportunity offered them in the production of transfer printed earthenwares celebrating the heroes, the military victories, and the virtues of the young republic, and frequently all of these things at once.
Location
Currently not on view
ID Number
CE.63.079
catalog number
63.079
accession number
248881
collector/donor number
306

Scrimshaw Sperm Whale Tooth, mid 19th Century

The obverse of this tooth has an image of a full rigged sailing ship stopped in the water, with most of the sails furled or rolled up.
Description
The obverse of this tooth has an image of a full rigged sailing ship stopped in the water, with most of the sails furled or rolled up. Alongside it is the carcass of a big whale, spinning around as the ship’s crew slice and hoist the ‘blanket pieces’ or strips of skin and body fat off the carcass in long sheets onto the deck. Once the long sheets are aboard, they’ll be cut into smaller pieces and tossed into a pot of boiling ‘blubber’ to render into whale oil. Above the scene in flowing script are the words “Ship Swift cutting a large whale.” There are a few registration pinholes within the image, but most of it is lightly drawn freehand. Engraved below the ship are the initials WHS, and in modern ink writing around the initials is written “149890. N.Y. M. Willis./U.S.A.” The number is the Smithsonian’s catalog number; the remainder is a notation by an earlier owner of the tooth. There is also a tag marked “39” stuck to the surface of the tooth in front of the ship’s bowsprit.
The reverse depicts a full-rigged ship plowing hard through heavy seas, with all sails flying. It is chasing a pair of whales lying on the water surface just ahead of its bow. The engraving is very fine but quite shallow on this side, and multiple pinholes indicate that a magazine drawing was laid over the polished tooth and pricked through for the image detail.
Scrimshaw began in the late 18th or early 19th century as the art of carving whale bone and ivory aboard whale ships. The crew on whalers had plenty of leisure time between sighting and chasing whales, and the hard parts of whales were readily available on voyages that could last up to four years.
In its simplest form, a tooth was removed from the lower jaw of a sperm whale and the surface was prepared by scraping and sanding until it was smooth. The easiest way to begin an etching was to smooth a print over the tooth, prick the outline of the image with a needle and then “connect-the-dots” once the paper was removed. This allowed even unskilled craftsmen to create fine carvings. Some sailors were skilled enough to etch their drawings freehand. After the lines were finished, they were filled in with lamp black or sometimes colored pigments.
Scrimshaw could be decorative, like simple sperm whale teeth, or they could be useful, as in ivory napkin rings, corset busks (stiffeners), swifts for winding yarn or pie crimpers. The sailor’s hand-carved scrimshaw was then given to loved ones back on shore as souvenirs of the hard and lonely life aboard long and dangerous voyages.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
mid 19th century
ID Number
DL.149890
catalog number
149890
accession number
27163

Patent Model, Life Boat

Joseph Francis of New York (1801–93) made a name for himself in the 1840s and 1850s manufacturing light and sturdy corrugated-iron lifeboats and other nautical gear. This 1841 patent model shows his design for a wood or metal boat fitted with airtight copper tanks.
Description
Joseph Francis of New York (1801–93) made a name for himself in the 1840s and 1850s manufacturing light and sturdy corrugated-iron lifeboats and other nautical gear. This 1841 patent model shows his design for a wood or metal boat fitted with airtight copper tanks. These tanks were to be charged with gas or air to provide buoyancy and, in an emergency, would work in conjunction with several holes through the bottom of the boat. When the boat started taking on water in rough seas, the holes would be opened. That action, combined with the buoyancy of the tanks, would permit drainage.
The well-known inventors of mid-19th-century America—Elias Howe, Cyrus McCormick, and Samuel F. B. Morse—were celebrated as national benefactors. Aspiring inventors regarded applying for a patent not just as a key step on the road to potential wealth, but as a patriotic duty—a contribution to the country’s betterment and future. Solidly within this style, Joseph Francis confidently called his buoyant boat the “great American life boat.” He declared with pride that “the model and application of the buoyant power which I now claim . . . is the best and safest for life boats and all other boats and vessels . . . it is different from and an improvement on all former invention by me and any other person . . . .”
In fact, the 1841 patent represented by this model is but a minor alteration to his first patent, an 1839 design for a double-bottomed boat fitted with buoyant air cylinders. His second attempt simply added additional tanks to the boat’s ends and flattened the bottom of the hull to enable it “to sit upright when left by a retiring surge upon a rock bar or beach, where other modeled boats would be upset.”
Date made
1841
patent date
1841-03-26
patentee
Francis, Joseph
inventor
Francis, Joseph
ID Number
TR.308542
catalog number
308542
accession number
89797
patent number
2,018

Harley-Davidson Motorcycle, 1942

The only American motorcycle manufacturer still in existence from the early twentieth century is the Harley-Davidson Motor Company, which was founded in 1903. At the outset of World War II, Harley-Davidson was producing motorcycles for the British government on contract.
Description
The only American motorcycle manufacturer still in existence from the early twentieth century is the Harley-Davidson Motor Company, which was founded in 1903. At the outset of World War II, Harley-Davidson was producing motorcycles for the British government on contract. By 1942 the company was producing more than 29,000 motorcycles per year, mostly for the United States Army. However, its 1942 brochure continued to list bikes for the civilian market, if people could afford the purchase price and find gasoline to keep it running. The museum’s 74 OHV twin was the largest model available, and it was offered in four different color schemes. This example was built in 1942 for Jorge Ubico, who was president of Guatemala from 1931 to 1944. He ordered several custom modifications and rode the motorcycle on recreational trips and inspection trips.
date made
1942
user
Cohen, Alfredo
maker
Harley-Davidson
ID Number
1981.0766.01
accession number
1981.0766
catalog number
1981.0766.01

Man smoking a cigar inside a car

black and white photograph; man wearing a suit and hat sitting inside a car on the front passenger side, his right hand hangs out the open window, he has a cigar in his mouth; driver's seat is empty; car is parked along a street; two cars, partially visible in backgroundCurrently
Description (Brief)
black and white photograph; man wearing a suit and hat sitting inside a car on the front passenger side, his right hand hangs out the open window, he has a cigar in his mouth; driver's seat is empty; car is parked along a street; two cars, partially visible in background
Location
Currently not on view
maker
Zalesky, Roy Joseph
ID Number
2017.0306.0003
catalog number
2017.0306.0003
accession number
2017.0306

Railroad Station Agent Hand-Signal Lantern, 1930s-40s

This railroad hand-signal kerosene lantern was manufactured by the Handlan Manufacturing Company of St. Louis, Missouri around 1930–1940. The lamp was used on the Eastern Shore (Maryland) Lines of the Pennsylvania Railroad.
Description
This railroad hand-signal kerosene lantern was manufactured by the Handlan Manufacturing Company of St. Louis, Missouri around 1930–1940. The lamp was used on the Eastern Shore (Maryland) Lines of the Pennsylvania Railroad. The lamp has a metal body, a blue glass globe encircled by protected metal wire, and a meal handle and base. The top of the lamp is inscribed with the Handlan logo and the text “HANDLAN/ST. LOUIS USA.”
Before the advent of portable two way radios, train crews communicated via hand signals during the day, and lantern signals during periods of low visibility or at night. This lantern with the blue globe was used by station agents to signal a train to pick up train orders, or to mark equipment that was being worked on and wasn’t to be moved.
Location
Currently not on view
maker
Handlan Manufacturing Co.
ID Number
TR.335440
catalog number
335440
accession number
321691

Car Model, STP Formula 1, model car no. 4

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
ID Number
2017.0091.75
catalog number
2017.0091.75
accession number
2017.0091

Sugi of Imaichi Nikko

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
late 19th century
ID Number
2012.0203.0065
accession number
2012.0203
catalog number
2012.0203.0065

STP shirt

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
ID Number
2017.0091.67
catalog number
2017.0091.67
accession number
2017.0091

Award, “Mechanics...,” figure of mechanic working on engine with torque wrench

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
ID Number
2017.0091.26
catalog number
2017.0091.26
accession number
2017.0091

STP Car 40 drinking glass

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
ID Number
2017.0091.57
catalog number
2017.0091.57
accession number
2017.0091

Stutz 8 Radiator Emblem

This radiator emblem belonged to a Stutz Eight automobile that was manufactured in Indianapolis, Indiana from 1926 until 1935. Prior to 1926 the primary Stutz automobile was the Bearcat, with an eight-cylinder being introduced in 1926.
Description
This radiator emblem belonged to a Stutz Eight automobile that was manufactured in Indianapolis, Indiana from 1926 until 1935. Prior to 1926 the primary Stutz automobile was the Bearcat, with an eight-cylinder being introduced in 1926. The emblem has a green background with yellow wings and a yellow number “8.” The emblem reads “Stutz” in black.
Radiator emblems are small, colorful metal plates bearing an automobile manufacturer's name or logo that attached to the radiators grilles of early automobiles. Varying in shape and size, the emblems served as a small branding device, sometimes indicating the type of engine, place of manufacturing, or using an iconic image or catchy slogan to advertise their cars make and model. This emblem is part of the collection that was donated by Hubert G. Larson in 1964.
Location
Currently not on view
ID Number
TR.325528.233
accession number
260303
catalog number
325528.233

Joel Machak’s Clio Award for Vince and Larry Crash Dummy Commercials, 1986

In the 1950s, automobile crash tests at universities convinced many safety advocates that “packaging” drivers and passengers with seat belts and other protective hardware was an urgently needed solution to highway fatalities.
Description
In the 1950s, automobile crash tests at universities convinced many safety advocates that “packaging” drivers and passengers with seat belts and other protective hardware was an urgently needed solution to highway fatalities. In 1966, Congress passed a law requiring seat belts, padded dashboards, stronger door latches, and other safety features on all new cars. But in the 1970s, few motorists wore seat belts because of apathy, distrust, or ignorance of the safety benefits. The U. S. Department of Transportation, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) used mass media to urge motorists to wear their seat belts. In 1984, NHTSA partnered with the Ad Council to create television and radio public service announcements that would persuade motorists to buckle up. The Ad Council hired Leo Burnett, a talent company, which recommended the use of humor. Leo Burnett staff writer Jim Ferguson and art director / creative director Joel Machak created Vince and Larry, a pair of crash test dummy characters with personalities and attitudes. Vince, the older, seasoned dummy, was tired, discouraged, and about to give up his mission to inspire motorists to wear seat belts. Larry, the young, energetic member of team, encouraged Vince to carry on his efforts, evoking sympathy from viewers. Ferguson began scripting commercials, and Leo Burnett hired director-producer William Dear to film the commercials. The fast-paced PSAs used humor and negative example to show the consequences of sudden deceleration without seat belts. The Leo Burnett team won the prestigious Clio Award; this statuette was presented to Joel Machak at the annual awards ceremony in Lincoln Center in New York. The Clio Award recognizes innovation and excellence in advertising, design, and communication. Founded in 1959 and named for the Greek goddess Clio, the mythological muse known as "the proclaimer, glorifier and celebrator of history, great deeds and accomplishments,” the award encompasses outstanding works in television, radio, print advertising, and package design.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1986
ID Number
2010.0111.05
catalog number
2010.0111.05
accession number
2010.0111

Model, Horizontal Steam Steering Engine, late 19th century

This brass model represents an engine invented in the late 19th century by Herbert Wadsworth of Avon, NY. Powered by steam, the engine steered ships by controlling the rudder. The engine included a hand operated flat-slide valve. The model was given to the Smithsonian in 1932.
Description
This brass model represents an engine invented in the late 19th century by Herbert Wadsworth of Avon, NY. Powered by steam, the engine steered ships by controlling the rudder. The engine included a hand operated flat-slide valve. The model was given to the Smithsonian in 1932.
date made
late 19th century
ID Number
TR.310475
catalog number
310475
accession number
119413

toy, trolley

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
ID Number
1971.295669.205
catalog number
295669.205
accession number
295669

Templar Radiator Emblem

This radiator emblem belonged to a Templar automobile that was manufactured by the Templar Motors Corporation of Cleveland, Ohio from 1917 until 1924.
Description
This radiator emblem belonged to a Templar automobile that was manufactured by the Templar Motors Corporation of Cleveland, Ohio from 1917 until 1924. The Templar was a small, sporty car with a four-cylinder engine that advertised itself as the “Superfine Small Car.” Some models even came equipped with a compass and a Kodak camera. Their name was an homage to the Templar Knights of the Middle Ages, and the logo on this oval badge bears an image of a mounted knight with the white text “TEMPLAR” underneath.
Radiator emblems are small, colorful metal plates bearing an automobile manufacturer's name or logo that attached to the radiators grilles of early automobiles. Varying in shape and size, the emblems served as a small branding device, sometimes indicating the type of engine, place of manufacturing, or using an iconic image or catchy slogan to advertise their cars make and model. This emblem is part of the collection that was donated by Hubert G. Larson in 1964.
Location
Currently not on view
ID Number
TR.325528.234
accession number
260303
catalog number
325528.234

Scrimshaw Sperm Whale Tooth, 19th-20th Centuries

Patriotic scenes were among the most popular for amateur scrimshaw artists in the 19th century American whaling fleet. On the front of this sperm whale tooth is a large, intricately detailed eagle with a shield in its midsection marked "USA".
Description
Patriotic scenes were among the most popular for amateur scrimshaw artists in the 19th century American whaling fleet. On the front of this sperm whale tooth is a large, intricately detailed eagle with a shield in its midsection marked "USA". His talons clutch a pennant inscribed "MASSACHUSETTS". Above is flying another pennant marked "BENJ GRAY 1857": likely the scrimshaw artist. The other side of the tooth is carved with a tall, slender urn marked "HOPE" on its lip, out of which large leaves are sprouting. The etching on this tooth is entirely freehand, attesting to a high level of artistic skill.
There are two Ben or Benjamin Grays in the New Bedford Whaling Museum Whaling Crew List Database, but their dates and ships do not match the date or ship on this tooth.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
19th-20th century
ID Number
1978.0052.24
accession number
1978.0052
catalog number
1978.0052.24

1966 Honda CB77F Super Hawk

date made
1966
maker
Honda Motor Company
ID Number
2019.0270.001
catalog number
2019.0270.001
accession number
2019.0270

British Admiralty Press Warrant, 1794

This 1794 British Admiralty document authorized Capt.
Description
This 1794 British Admiralty document authorized Capt. John Thomas Duckworth of HMS Orion to impress as many seamen (or rivermen) as necessary to adequately man his vessel or “any other of His Majesty’s Ships.” Each man recruited this way was to receive one shilling as “Prest Money.” The document that conveyed this extraordinary power expired a little more than a year after issue.
Around the same time as this press warrant, the British Admiralty published a pamphlet outlining in considerable detail the conditions under which seaman or landsmen could be impressed into the Royal Navy. Certain categories of men were excluded, such as fishermen, whalemen, ship masters, mates or carpenters, youths under 18 or men over 55 years of age, foreigners and others.
Before impressment, a call for volunteers was made, together with an offer of two months wages as an enticement. For the safety of the pressed ship and cargo, men impressed from British vessels had to be replaced through the end of the voyage to the point of cargo unloading, so that their ships were not dangerously shorthanded. After that point, the replacements had to be paid conduct money so they might return to their proper ship.
In the early 19th century, impressment of American seamen into the Royal Navy was commonplace, as Britain required large umbers of crewmen to man its active Navy. By the War of 1812, the rules regarding foreigners must have been revised, or at least very sharply bent, for excessive impressment of Americans was one of the main reasons that the United States entered the War of 1812.
date made
1794
ID Number
TR.335662
catalog number
335662
accession number
322724

emblem, radiator

Radiator emblems are small, colorful metal plates bearing an automobile manufacturer's name or logo that attached to the radiators grilles of early automobiles.
Description
Radiator emblems are small, colorful metal plates bearing an automobile manufacturer's name or logo that attached to the radiators grilles of early automobiles. Varying in shape and size, the emblems served as a small branding device, sometimes indicating the type of engine, place of manufacturing, or using an iconic image or catchy slogan to advertise their cars make and model. This emblems is part of the collection that was donated by Hubert G. Larson in 1964.
Location
Currently not on view
ID Number
TR.325528.274
accession number
260303
catalog number
325528.274

Marquette Radiator Emblem

This radiator emblem belonged a Marquette automobile that was manufactured by the Buick Motor Company in Flint, Michigan in 1930.
Description
This radiator emblem belonged a Marquette automobile that was manufactured by the Buick Motor Company in Flint, Michigan in 1930. The Marquette was a distinct marque from Buick in an effort to establish a more budget friendly vehicle, similar to Oakland with its Pontiac and Cadillac with LaSalle. Approximately 35,000 vehicles were produced in 1930, which came in a six body models, and sold for about $1000. This emblem resembles a family crest with a white scroll across its front that reads “Marquette” in black. The crest is in quarters, 1st and fourth are white argents on a black field, 2nd and 3rd are red fields.
Radiator emblems are small, colorful metal plates bearing an automobile manufacturer's name or logo that attached to the radiators grilles of early automobiles. Varying in shape and size, the emblems served as a small branding device, sometimes indicating the type of engine, place of manufacturing, or using an iconic image or catchy slogan to advertise their cars make and model. This emblem is part of the collection that was donated by Hubert G. Larson in 1964.
Location
Currently not on view
ID Number
TR.325528.154
accession number
260303
catalog number
325528.154

Flyer Radiator Emblem

This radiator emblem belonged to an Ace model automobile that was manufactured by the Continental Automobile Company of Grand Rapids, Michigan during 1933 and 1934.
Description
This radiator emblem belonged to an Ace model automobile that was manufactured by the Continental Automobile Company of Grand Rapids, Michigan during 1933 and 1934. The Continental Motors Corporation manufactured a variety of engines for numerous automobile manufacturers during the early 20th century. In 1932 Continental Motors took over the De Vaux-Hall Company and produced the Continental-De Vaux brand automobile. In 1933 the Continental Automobile Company began to produce their own vehicles. Three models were produced at three different price points, the budget ($395) Beacon, the mid-range ($510) Flyer, and the high-end ($816) Ace. The curved emblem has a blue background and reads “FLYER” in silver lettering.
Radiator emblems are small, colorful metal plates bearing an automobile manufacturer's name or logo that attached to the radiators grilles of early automobiles. Varying in shape and size, the emblems served as a small branding device, sometimes indicating the type of engine, place of manufacturing, or using an iconic image or catchy slogan to advertise their cars make and model. This emblem is part of the collection that was donated by Hubert G. Larson in 1964.
Location
Currently not on view
ID Number
TR.325528.109
accession number
260303
catalog number
325528.109

Fisher Body Craftsman's Guild Model Car, 1949

This automobile model was entered into the 1949 Fisher Body Craftsman’s Guild competition by Gale P. Morris of Portland, Oregon. He was awarded third place nationally in the junior division for this model, winning a $2,000 scholarship.
Description
This automobile model was entered into the 1949 Fisher Body Craftsman’s Guild competition by Gale P. Morris of Portland, Oregon. He was awarded third place nationally in the junior division for this model, winning a $2,000 scholarship. The wood model has a metallic green paint job with silver bumpers, opaque windows, and white walled tires.
From 1930 until 1968, the Fisher Body Division of General Motors sponsored the Fisher Body Craftsman’s Guild and its annual model-building competition. For the first seven years of the contest, the young men in the Guild built models of a Napoleonic carriage (the Fisher Body logo) to show their high precision skills in craftsmanship. In 1937 the contest expanded to include model automobiles, which became a source of inspiration for new GM automobiles. By 1948 model cars became the only accepted entry for the contest. Winning car models were both practical and stylish original designs made with superior craftsmanship on an exacting 1/12th scale. For General Motors, the competition was a major public relations success while also serving as a type of design aptitude test for the entrants. For the young men of the Guild, the contest was a chance to win scholarships, cash prizes, and an once-in-a-lifetime all-expenses paid trip to Detroit for the regional winners. Designs featured in these models would often presage production automobiles, as many winners went on to work for General Motors or other automotive companies as designers.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1949
maker
Morris, Gale P.
ID Number
1987.0447.01
catalog number
1987.0447.01
accession number
1987.0447

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