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.

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

1929 Oakland sedan

This car belonged to George W. Hibbs, who worked in his uncle's stock brokerage, W.B. Hibbs and Company, in Washington, D.C. The car was last driven in 1950; it was stored in a home garage until 1993, when it was added to the Smithsonian collection as a bequest of Audrey H.
Description
This car belonged to George W. Hibbs, who worked in his uncle's stock brokerage, W.B. Hibbs and Company, in Washington, D.C. The car was last driven in 1950; it was stored in a home garage until 1993, when it was added to the Smithsonian collection as a bequest of Audrey H. Thomas, Hibbs's granddaughter.
The 1929 Oakland All-American Six sedan was a moderately priced, mass-produced luxury car. Its fine body work, luxury accessories, and styling accents distinguished it from lower-priced sedans. These features reflected middle-class motorists' desire for greater sophistication and General Motors' focus on the sales appeal of artistically designed, comfortable, closed-body cars. Another selling point of GM sedans and coupes was its Fisher Body Division, which brought a heritage of carriage and closed body skills and artistry to mass-produced automobiles.
In the 1920s, General Motors introduced a marketing strategy that featured a spectrum of makes and models with graduated prices and levels of quality. This strategy enticed motorists to "step up" to the next level of price and luxury when their means allowed. Oakland was placed between Oldsmobile and Buick in price, quality, and body details. GM discontinued the Oakland line in 1931, during the Depression, because of declining sales and the popularity of other GM cars, including one of Oakland's own products, the Pontiac.
Image from sales brochure in division object files.
date made
1929
maker
General Motors Corporation
Oakland Motor Car Company
General Motors Corporation. Fisher Body Division
ID Number
1993.0483.01
accession number
1993.0483
catalog number
1993.0483.01

MADD Baseball Cap

This white baseball cap has a red bill and a red button in center crown. The hat’s crown bears black text around a red anthropomorphized car stitched into the crown.
Description
This white baseball cap has a red bill and a red button in center crown. The hat’s crown bears black text around a red anthropomorphized car stitched into the crown. The text reads “Designate a Driver, MADD, Mothers Against Drunk Drivers.” The side of the hat reads “Discount Tire Co." in red stitching.
Candace Lightner founded Mothers Against Drunk Drivers (MADD), a citizens’ movement to fight leniency and indifference toward drinking after a driver who had been drinking killed her daughter Cari in 1980. These initiatives led to new state laws holding intoxicated drivers accountable. New sobriety checkpoints, designated driver programs, and federal legislation raising the minimum drinking age to 21 kept intoxicated drivers off the road. Since its inception, MADD has been instrumental in lowering the highway fatality count due to driving while intoxicated.
ID Number
2011.0266.04
catalog number
2011.0266.04
accession number
2011.0266

Cargo Hook

Hand-held cargo hooks were the indispensable tools of longshoremen working on conventional (non-containerized) freighters. In the course of loading and discharging cargo they needed to grab, lift, and move various types and sizes of bags, boxes, and bales.
Description
Hand-held cargo hooks were the indispensable tools of longshoremen working on conventional (non-containerized) freighters. In the course of loading and discharging cargo they needed to grab, lift, and move various types and sizes of bags, boxes, and bales. The hooks, held firmly in a gloved hand, extended their reach and helped them lift heavy items. Most longshoremen owned several different types of hooks for moving different materials—from burlap sacks to wooden boxes—and altered the handles to suit their grip.
Longshoreman Herb Mills used this small cargo hook for lifting burlap bags of coffee. Its wooden handle has been whittled to fit comfortably in the palm. The small, sharp iron hook fits through the entire diameter of the handle and is attached with a metal washer. One side of the handle is slightly rounded at an angle for a comfortable thumb grip. Mills used this hook during his career as a longshoreman in San Francisco. Mills was a member of Local 10 of the ILWU—the International Longshore and Warehouse Union—from 1963 to 1992.
date made
ca 1960
ID Number
2002.0026.06
accession number
2002.0026
catalog number
2002.0026.06

Flxible Radiator Emblem

This radiator emblem belonged to a Flxible brand automobile that was manufactured by the Flxible Company during the 1920 and 1930s.
Description
This radiator emblem belonged to a Flxible brand automobile that was manufactured by the Flxible Company during the 1920 and 1930s. The black emblem has a silver rim with white text that reads “FLXIBLE” in script.
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.325528.108
accession number
260303
catalog number
325528.108

"Hamons Court" Neon Sign

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

Velie Radiator Emblem

This radiator emblem belonged to a Velie automobile that was manufactured by the Velie Motor Vehicle Company of Moline, Illinois from 1909 until 1929. Velie was a well-known carriage builder prior to manufacturing automobiles.
Description
This radiator emblem belonged to a Velie automobile that was manufactured by the Velie Motor Vehicle Company of Moline, Illinois from 1909 until 1929. Velie was a well-known carriage builder prior to manufacturing automobiles. The Velie Corporation had the backing of the John Deere Plow Company, and their first cars were distributed through the Deere dealer network. The emblem has a black rim that reads “VELIE MOTORS COPR/MOLINE ILL.” The center of the emblem has a red and white shield, with a bull crest over a banner that reads “VIRTUS, OMNIA, NOBILITAT” (Latin for “Virtue enobles all things”).
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.325528.241
accession number
260303
catalog number
325528.241

Scrimshaw Sperm Whale’s Tooth

This carved sperm whale tooth is only engraved on one side, but it has an unusual subject. Instead of the more common full-rigged sailing ship, this tooth depicts a steamboat in profile moving from left to right.
Description
This carved sperm whale tooth is only engraved on one side, but it has an unusual subject. Instead of the more common full-rigged sailing ship, this tooth depicts a steamboat in profile moving from left to right. Below the vessel is engraved the legend “STEAMER RIGHT ARM”, which identifies the vessel as the wrecking tugboat RIGHT ARM. Measuring 135 ft. in length by 26.5 ft. beam (width), the ship was purpose built in New England in the early 1890s as a wrecker, or salvage vessel. These uncommon vessels helped to refloat grounded or stranded ships, or recovered useful parts from a ship that was wrecked. The forward deckhouse contained a powerful steam windlass and several tons of 2-in. chain, and the pumps were so strong that the ship could pump coal--as well as water--from damaged ships. The RIGHT ARM had the capability to support divers as well, with dive gear, air compressors and special equipment.
The RIGHT ARM is best known as the salvage ship for the infamous wreck of the American warship USS MAINE in Havana harbor, Cuba, an early event in the Spanish-American War. The RIGHT ARM recovered some of the MAINE’s artillery; the ship’s safe containing ca. $25,000; valuable chalices from the chaplain’s stateroom, and sailors’ bodies from the colossal explosion on 15 February 1898 that sank the warship.
Although this tooth was not carved by a whaler during the classical Age of Sail, it still represents the latter-day art of scrimshaw through its style, material and treatment.
Location
Currently not on view
ID Number
DL.65.1135
catalog number
65.1135
accession number
256396

Dessert Plate, SS United States

This dessert plate was used aboard the SS United States, the largest and fastest passenger liner ever built in the United States. Launched in 1952, it was billed as the most modern and luxurious ship in service on the North Atlantic.
Description
This dessert plate was used aboard the SS United States, the largest and fastest passenger liner ever built in the United States. Launched in 1952, it was billed as the most modern and luxurious ship in service on the North Atlantic. This plate was one of the 125,000 pieces of chinaware supplied to the ship by the United States Lines. The china—a pattern featuring a ring of gray stars—was produced by Lamberton Sterling, an American manufacturer.
There were plenty of choices for dessert aboard the SS United States. Menus from a December 1954 voyage—the first taken by the Duke and Duchess of Windsor on an American vessel—reveal a combination of American favorites and fancy confections inspired by the French. For dinner on December 10, passengers enjoyed Old Fashioned Strawberry Shortcake, and Peach Melba, as well as Meringue Glace au Chocolat, Frangipan, and Petits Fours. For luncheon the next day, the choices ranged from Green Apple or Blueberry Pie to Biscuit Glace and Chocolate Éclairs.
date made
1950s
maker
Lamberton Sterling
ID Number
TR.335565.06B
accession number
1978.2219
catalog number
335565.6b

Moyer Radiator Emblem

This radiator emblem belonged to a Moyer automobile that was manufactured by the H. A. Moyer company of Syracuse, New York between 1911 and 1915. Like many early automobile companies, Moyer was originally a buggy and wagon company, established in Syracuse in 1880.
Description
This radiator emblem belonged to a Moyer automobile that was manufactured by the H. A. Moyer company of Syracuse, New York between 1911 and 1915. Like many early automobile companies, Moyer was originally a buggy and wagon company, established in Syracuse in 1880. Moyer advertised the smoothness of their car’s ride, saying “All Roads Are Level to a Moyer.” This circular metal emblem has raised text that reads “Moyer” in script.
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.325528.170
accession number
260303
catalog number
325528.170

Coin, Mario Andretti 1969 Indianapolis 500 victory

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
ID Number
2017.0091.18
catalog number
2017.0091.18
accession number
2017.0091

Patent Model for an Apparatus for Raising Submerged Vessels, 1842

This model accompanied Theodore R. Timby’s patent application for "a new and useful Apparatus for Raising Sunken Vessels and other Submerged Bodies" that received patent number 2,572 on April 21,1842.
Description
This model accompanied Theodore R. Timby’s patent application for "a new and useful Apparatus for Raising Sunken Vessels and other Submerged Bodies" that received patent number 2,572 on April 21,
1842. The device is comprised of a pump that supplies air though a wire- reinforced leather hose to a submerged chamber, which inflates to lift a submerged item to the surface. Timby did not claim to invent the use of an air chamber to provide lift; his innovation was in shaping his "air vessel" like an inverted cone with a dome on top. Furthermore, because the object to be raised would be secured to a ring on the air chamber's lower end, he prevented the weight of the object from deforming the chamber or ripping the ring loose by suspending the ring from chains run up and over the body of the chamber. The air vessel was to be constructed of thin copper, as the model is. The pump, although beautifully modeled, was to be simply an "ordinary air pump," and did not incorporate any innovations by Timby.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1842
patent date
1842-04-21
inventor
Timby, Theodore R.
ID Number
TR.308543
accession number
89797
catalog number
308543
patent number
2,572

Lozier Radiator Emblem

The Lozier company manufactured bicycles before branching out to automobiles. Lozier experimented with designs and styles for three years, including the building of a steam car, before producing its first auto. In 1911 when chief designer Frederick C.
Description
The Lozier company manufactured bicycles before branching out to automobiles. Lozier experimented with designs and styles for three years, including the building of a steam car, before producing its first auto. In 1911 when chief designer Frederick C. Chandler left the company with two engineers to start his own firm, Lozier's sales began to fall. Lozier responded by cutting prices and trying to negotiate a takeover with Ford, but the company had to close in 1917.
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.
ID Number
TR.325528.150
accession number
260303
catalog number
325528.150

Spitler Puncture Plug Set (shown with inner tube)

This Spitler Puncture plug was used to repair automobile tires. The brass plug consisted of three parts, a disk, cap, and lock cap.
Description
This Spitler Puncture plug was used to repair automobile tires. The brass plug consisted of three parts, a disk, cap, and lock cap. The disk went inside the tire, the frictionless cap went on top to plug the hole, and the lock cap screwed on to keep the plug in place.
Early automobile enthusiasts had to cope with bad roads which damaged their tires. And the tires themselves also contributed to regular blow outs: the first automobile tires were usually adaptations of bicycle tires. They were highly pressurized, and often failed.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1915
ID Number
1982.0321.01.01
catalog number
1982.0321.01.01
82.0321.01
accession number
1982.0321

Meteor Motor Car Company Radiator Emblem

A variety of Meteor automobile makes were manufactured during the early 20th century. This radiator emblem belonged to a Meteor car that was manufactured by the Meteor Motor Company of Piqua, Ohio between 1915 and 1930.
Description
A variety of Meteor automobile makes were manufactured during the early 20th century. This radiator emblem belonged to a Meteor car that was manufactured by the Meteor Motor Company of Piqua, Ohio between 1915 and 1930. Passenger automobiles were only produced until 1917, as the company shifted its focus to profession vehicles, mainly ambulances and hearses. The blue oval emblem reads “Meteor” in the center with a shooting star underneath, the white rim reads “METEOR MOTOR CAR CO./PIQUA, OHIO, USA” in silver text.
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.325528.161
accession number
260303
catalog number
325528.161

Courier Radiator Emblem (Sandusky Automobile Co.)

This radiator emblem belonged to a Courier automobile that was manufactured in Sandusky, Ohio. The Sandusky Automobile Company was the first to manufacture a Courier car, a runabout that was produced in Ohio from 1904 until 1905.
Description
This radiator emblem belonged to a Courier automobile that was manufactured in Sandusky, Ohio. The Sandusky Automobile Company was the first to manufacture a Courier car, a runabout that was produced in Ohio from 1904 until 1905. Arrow Motors took over Maibohm Motors in 1922, and produced a Courier vehicle in several body models for one year in 1923. This emblem has a gold figure of mercury in the center on a black background, ringed in red that reads “COURIER/SANDUSKY, OHIO. U.S.A.” in gold, with a white rim.
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.325528.063
accession number
260303
catalog number
325528.063

Dort Radiator Emblem

This radiator emblem belong to a Dort automobile manufactured by the Dort Motor Car Company of Flint, Michigan.
Description
This radiator emblem belong to a Dort automobile manufactured by the Dort Motor Car Company of Flint, Michigan. Dort operated from 1915 until 1924, the emblem belonged to a car produced around that time.
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.
ID Number
TR.325528.081
accession number
260303
catalog number
325528.081

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 emblem is part of the collection that was donated by Hubert G. Larson in 1964.
Location
Currently not on view
ID Number
TR.325528.272
accession number
260303
catalog number
325528.272

EV1 Cap

The EV1 was the first modern electric car designed for a mass market. In 1990, the California Air Resources Board required automakers to offer emission-free vehicles by 1998.
Description
The EV1 was the first modern electric car designed for a mass market. In 1990, the California Air Resources Board required automakers to offer emission-free vehicles by 1998. Of the various makes and models of electric vehicles placed on the road in California, only the EV1 was designed from scratch. Its aerodynamic shape and advanced power management systems, developed by AeroVironment Inc., GM Electric Vehicles, Hughes Electronics, and other GM subsidiaries, made the new car practical, energy efficient, and appealing to consumers. Beginning in 1996, General Motors built 1,117 EV1 cars and leased most of them to consumers in California, Arizona, and Georgia. This cap, which was owned by Steven Tarnowsky, a member of the EV1 engineering and propulsion team, reflects employee enthusiasm within GM’s electric vehicle program.
Location
Currently not on view
maker
General Motors Corporation
ID Number
2006.0034.01
accession number
2006.0034
catalog number
2006.0034.01

Champagne Glass, SS United States

This champagne glass was among the 57,000 pieces of glassware furnished to the SS United States before its maiden voyage in 1952. Launched in 1952, the “Big U,” as the ship was affectionately called, was 990 feet long, about the length of five city blocks.
Description
This champagne glass was among the 57,000 pieces of glassware furnished to the SS United States before its maiden voyage in 1952. Launched in 1952, the “Big U,” as the ship was affectionately called, was 990 feet long, about the length of five city blocks. On its maiden voyage, the ship broke the speed records for crossings in both directions and captured the Blue Riband trophy, an award for the ship making the fastest round trip passage on the North Atlantic. The time set by the United States on the westbound leg from New York to England was 3 days, 12 hours, and 12 minutes, with an average speed of 34.51 knots, a record that remains unbroken.
The SS United States was built in Newport News, Virginia, and was the largest and fastest transatlantic passenger liner ever built in the country. The ship had 695 staterooms located on eight of the liner’s 12 decks. It could accommodate 1,972 passengers in first, cabin, or tourist class. Some 1,011 crew were required to run the ship and serve the passengers.
date made
1952
ID Number
TR.335564.02A
catalog number
335564.2
accession number
1978.2219

E-M-F Radiator Emblem

This radiator emblem belonged to an E-M-F Model 30 automobile that was manufactured by the Everitt-Metzger-Flanders Company of Detroit, Michigan between 1908 and 1912.
Description
This radiator emblem belonged to an E-M-F Model 30 automobile that was manufactured by the Everitt-Metzger-Flanders Company of Detroit, Michigan between 1908 and 1912. Barney Everitt, William Metzger, and Walter Flanders all had previous automotive experience when organizing their company, nut internal dissension led to an early split when Everitt and Metzger left in 1909. Studebaker took over the company in 1912, and produced several E-M-F 30 models, before eliminating the brand. This emblem is entirely made of metal, with free-formed text that reads “MFD. BY E-M-F-CO./E-M-F/THIRTY/DETROIT, MICH., U.S.A.”
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.325528.096
accession number
260303
catalog number
325528.096

Scrimshaw Sperm Whale Tooth, 19th-20th Centuries

This large, highly polished sperm whale tooth is carved on both sides. The obverse is etched with a large full-rigged three-masted ship sailing towards the observer with all sails set.
Description
This large, highly polished sperm whale tooth is carved on both sides. The obverse is etched with a large full-rigged three-masted ship sailing towards the observer with all sails set. Atop the mainmast is a homeward bound pennant, and fifteen gunports are aligned along the starboard side of the ship. Below the sailing ship is etched in upper case letters "MONMOUTH-L.Is." (for Long Island). The reverse has a large heart with a keyhole in the center, with a forked pennant swirling around it marked "SARAH THE KEY IS WITH THEE 1864". Below the name "Wm. BAYLES" is etched along the same line as the lettering on the other side. There were no whalers named Monmouth in the records, and William Bayles does not appear in the New Bedford Whaling Museum Whaling Crew List Database.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
19th-20th century
ID Number
1978.0052.25
accession number
1978.0052
catalog number
1978.52.25

Coin, Mario Andretti 1969 USAC National Champion coin (copper)

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
ID Number
2017.0091.19
catalog number
2017.0091.19
accession number
2017.0091

Front Fork Bicycle Pin

This stickpin is topped with a miniature bicycle’s front fork, made by an unknown manufacturer.Bicycling boomed in popularity in the United States during the 1890s when the invention of the “safety” bicycle replaced the dangerous high-wheeler.
Description
This stickpin is topped with a miniature bicycle’s front fork, made by an unknown manufacturer.
Bicycling boomed in popularity in the United States during the 1890s when the invention of the “safety” bicycle replaced the dangerous high-wheeler. The National Cycle Board of Trade held the largest annual exhibitions in New York and Chicago between 1893 and 1897. At these cycle shows manufacturers attempted to capitalize on the bicycle boom with exhibitions of their products to both the public and bicycle agents from other cities. At shows like these, manufacturers advertised their wares with pins and buttons made of tin and celluloid—cheap materials easily mass manufactured into trinkets and souvenirs. The Chicago Tribune’s account of the 1896 Chicago show speaks to the ubiquity of these kind of souvenirs. “Every visitor seems to have a desire to cherish its memory through some kind of a souvenir . . . anyone who does not look like a walking sign board is a rarity and every exhibiter goes after him and every available buttonhole has some kind of button in it, and stick pins are thrust at him from all sides.”
ID Number
1990.0294.34
catalog number
1990.0294.34
accession number
1990.0294

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