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: Art

Sperm Whale Tooth Watch Stand

Scrimshaw known to have been made specifically for men is comparatively rare.
Description
Scrimshaw known to have been made specifically for men is comparatively rare. This unfinished tooth was hollowed out at the back to carry a gentleman’s pocket watch inside, perhaps set on a wardrobe, a bureau or a dressing table overnight.
Patriotic imagery was very popular on American scrimshaw. At the top is a large eagle in flight clutching arrows and an olive branch; the hole for the watch is framed by a simple scalloped line. The space at the bottom was probably reserved for the owner’s initials or possibly a date, and the two holes were likely drilled for ivory buttons. The piece was unfinished when it was donated in 1875 by J. H. Clark of Newport, R.I.
date made
19th century
Associated Date
collected
ID Number
DL.024905
catalog number
024905
accession number
4331

Utica, N.Y.

Color print depicting a view of two main streets of a city (Utica) radiating from a plaza in the foregroud. A train and horse-drawn wagon, carts and coaches are in the foreground.Currently not on view
Description (Brief)
Color print depicting a view of two main streets of a city (Utica) radiating from a plaza in the foregroud. A train and horse-drawn wagon, carts and coaches are in the foreground.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
n.d.
printer
Michelin, Francis
artist
Moody, David William
original artist
Bradley, Lewis
ID Number
DL.60.3743
catalog number
60. 3743

Bill

Camera-ready pen and ink drawings by Rube Goldberg for his two comic series Bill and Boob McNutt dated June 12, 1932.
Description
Camera-ready pen and ink drawings by Rube Goldberg for his two comic series Bill and Boob McNutt dated June 12, 1932. Goldberg drew for the Bill series between 1931 and 1934, and the Boob McNutt series between 1915 and 1934.
Bill and girlfriend Sally try to recover stolen jewels with the help of old Captain Jim. Boob and Mike and Ike are thought to have been killed while flying on the damaged dirigible.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
June 12, 1932
original artist
Goldberg, Rube
publisher
Star Company
ID Number
GA.23496
accession number
1972.299186
catalog number
GA*23496

Scrimshaw Sperm Whale’s ToothScrimshaw Domestic Scene on Sperm Whale’s Tooth, 19th Century

The crews of whale ships had more leisure time than other sailors, since their voyages could last up to four years in length. They also had larger crews than other types of ships, due to the nature of their work.
Description
The crews of whale ships had more leisure time than other sailors, since their voyages could last up to four years in length. They also had larger crews than other types of ships, due to the nature of their work. During long hours on watch or lonely hours off duty, many sailors’ thoughts naturally turned to home. This sperm whale tooth is elaborately carved with a domestic scene from a wealthy home. An oriental carpet covers the floor, on which a well-dressed young couple sits on either side of an elaborately-carved table. The portrait of domestic bliss is completed by a small boy at his mother’s side with his hand across her lap. An ornately decorated column holds up rich drapes of exotic fabrics, and the whole tranquil and idealized image is surrounded by a floral frame like a painted picture on the wall. Not many sailors left such a scene behind when they went to sea nor had such a wealthy home scene to return to after a long voyage.
Location
Currently not on view
ID Number
DL.374488
catalog number
374488
accession number
136263

Deep Snow Topaz 1943

"Topaz 3-15-44"Currently not on view
Description
"Topaz 3-15-44"
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1944-03-15
maker
Ujihara, Akio
ID Number
1986.3047.09
catalog number
1986.3047.09
nonaccession number
1986.3047

Bone Dice

Gambling usually was banned aboard whaling ships, on the grounds that it could cause too much strife among the crew.
Description
Gambling usually was banned aboard whaling ships, on the grounds that it could cause too much strife among the crew. But “bones” or dice were easily concealed from a ship’s officers, and crews found out-of-the way places to spend their free time wagering their earnings, tobacco or other assets.
date made
19th Century
ID Number
AG.024849.3
catalog number
24849.3
accession number
1875.4423

Whalebone and Bone Umbrella

The bony substance from the mouths of whales known as baleen is formed of keratin, like human hair and nails. It hangs in long, parallel sheets from the upper jaws of the blue, right, and minke whales, as well as other lesser-known species.
Description
The bony substance from the mouths of whales known as baleen is formed of keratin, like human hair and nails. It hangs in long, parallel sheets from the upper jaws of the blue, right, and minke whales, as well as other lesser-known species. Its hairy fringe filters food from seawater.
Dried out, baleen’s strength and flexibility made it ideal for buggy whips, corset busks, and umbrella ribs before the advent of plastic. A whale’s bone could actually be worth more than its oil. This man’s large umbrella has a wooden shaft, heavy hinged baleen ribs made in short sections, and an ivory handle. Marked “G. Hobbs, Barre,” it belonged to the donor’s grandfather, who lived in Barre, Massachusetts, until around the end of the Civil War.
Date made
ca 1835-1865
user
Hobbs, George
ID Number
AG.169283.01
accession number
169283
catalog number
169283.01

dice, ivory (pair)

ID Number
AG.024849.2
catalog number
24849.2
accession number
1875.4423

Bone Dice

Gambling usually was banned aboard whaling ships, on the grounds that it could cause too much strife among the crew.
Description
Gambling usually was banned aboard whaling ships, on the grounds that it could cause too much strife among the crew. But “bones” or dice were easily concealed from a ship’s officers, and crews found out-of-the-way places to spend their free time wagering their earnings, tobacco, or other assets.
date made
1800s
ID Number
AG.024849.1
accession number
1875.4423
catalog number
24849.1

USS Alaska Scrimshaw Sperm Whale Tooth

The wooden screw sloop of war USS Alaska was built in 1868 and spent much of her career in the southern Pacific and Far East representing the American nation in foreign ports.
Description
The wooden screw sloop of war USS Alaska was built in 1868 and spent much of her career in the southern Pacific and Far East representing the American nation in foreign ports. In June 1878, she cleared New York for San Francisco and stopped at several South American ports on the way.
One of Alaska's port calls from 20-29 September 1878 was to Talcahuano, in the center of Chile's coast and that nation's main naval port. It also was one the principal stops for American whalers in the Pacific seeking fresh supplies and entertainment. This massive sperm whale's tooth was probably purchased there and engraved by one of Alaska's crew to commemorate his visit. While the carver of this tooth is unknown, it may have been one of the officers who kept the official ship's logbooks, because the calligraphy on the covers of the logs for this voyage is exceptionally elaborate and colorful.
As this tooth indicates, the Talcahuano visit and liberty calls were memorable. Sent ashore on liberty, 54 of Alaska's crew went AWOL (Absent WithOut Leave), and three more were confined to double irons (feet and hand cuffs) for drunk and boisterous behavior or fighting.
Date made
1878
USS Alaska port call to Chile, Talcahuano
1878-09
ID Number
DL.374477
catalog number
374477
accession number
136263

The Hand of Man

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1902
maker
Stieglitz, Alfred
ID Number
PG.001705
catalog number
1705
accession number
55701

The Terminal

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1893
maker
Stieglitz, Alfred
ID Number
PG.001686
catalog number
1686
accession number
55701

The Ammunition Dump 1919

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1919
Circa 1919
ca 1919
associated date
1917 - 1918
associated person
Stanley-Brown, Rudolph
Stanley-Brown, Katharine
artist
Stanley-Brown, Rudolph
ID Number
AF.59728M
catalog number
59728M
accession number
216896

Whalebone Thimble Eye

This rope-strapped thimble carved from whalebone would have had a light rope through the eye for rigging, perhaps on a whaleboat.These miniature items also served as children’s toys or curiosities back home.
Description
This rope-strapped thimble carved from whalebone would have had a light rope through the eye for rigging, perhaps on a whaleboat.
These miniature items also served as children’s toys or curiosities back home. Toys in the form of miniature working ship parts were easy and quick for sailors to carve, and they did not require much skill to make. They also served as potent reminders of where and what the men were doing during their long absences from their friends and families.
date made
1800s
ID Number
AG.025801
catalog number
025801
accession number
2009.0182

Cast Iron Whale

The words “BAKER NEW BEDFORD.” appear on the back of this cast-iron sperm whale, which has two mounting lugs on the bottom for fastening to a flat surface.
Description
The words “BAKER NEW BEDFORD.” appear on the back of this cast-iron sperm whale, which has two mounting lugs on the bottom for fastening to a flat surface. These features suggest that it was a shop sign for one of the many stores in New Bedford, Massaschusetts that provided items to whalers needed for their dirty and dangerous business. In the 1878 New Bedford city directory, the only person listed with the surname Baker was Ansol Baker, a machinist.
New Bedford was the largest American whaling port in the industry, which flourished until the Civil War and lasted into the early 20th century.
Date made
19th century
possible owner of sign
Baker, Ansol
ID Number
CL.25052
catalog number
25052
accession number
2009.0157
catalog number
2009.0157.01

Scrimshaw Whale Bone Food Chopper

Simply carved and without any engraving, this food chopper, or mincer, was made in two pieces from a sperm whale’s jawbone. Its blunted, curved blade was used to chop soft foods such as bread dough, fruits, sausage, and animal fats.
Description
Simply carved and without any engraving, this food chopper, or mincer, was made in two pieces from a sperm whale’s jawbone. Its blunted, curved blade was used to chop soft foods such as bread dough, fruits, sausage, and animal fats. This example was donated by former Secretary of the Institution Spencer F. Baird (1823–1887) to the Smithsonian, where it became one of the earliest objects in the maritime collections.
date made
1800s
purchased
1876-11-30
ID Number
AG.024909
catalog number
24909
accession number
2009.0157

Sailor's Embroidery

Sailors sometimes used their off-duty hours aboard ship to do hand crafts such as carving, knotting, and needlework. This sailor's silk embroidery on linen of patriotic symbols and Civil War-related scenes, was "Worked at sea by J. M. Adams" in the late 19th century.
Description
Sailors sometimes used their off-duty hours aboard ship to do hand crafts such as carving, knotting, and needlework. This sailor's silk embroidery on linen of patriotic symbols and Civil War-related scenes, was "Worked at sea by J. M. Adams" in the late 19th century. It is 20-1/2 inches long. The center vignette has "Liberty" seated on a wharf beside the "Mississippi River," looking at a three-masted ship flying the stars and stripes. She holds a pole topped with a liberty cap in her left hand and a shield decorated with stars, stripes, and the word "Liberty" in her right. An anchor and cannon balls are at her feet.
"United States of America" and "In God We Trust" are embroidered on the scene's circular frame. Atop the frame is an American eagle holding an "E Pluribus Unum" banner. A rising sun is behind the eagle, and a stars-and-stripes shield is at its feet. To the right and left of the eagle are rifles with bayonets and American flags. To the right of the frame is a sailor; at the left is a soldier in Zouave uniform. The corner vignettes depict: 1. The "Battle of Mill Creek," fought in Kentucky on January 19, 1862, ending in a Union victory and a Confederate retreat. It is based on an engraving published by Johnson, Fry & Co., New York, from a painting by Alonzo Chappel. 2.The "Death of Ellsworth" in Alexandria, Va. He was the first Union soldier killed in the Civil War. It is based on an illustration in Harper's Weekly of June 15, 1861, from a sketch by Francis Brownell, a young Zouave soldier who immediately avenged Colonel Ellsworth's death and became a national hero. 3. Monument in Charlestown, Mass; designed by Martin and Joseph Milmore. Dedicated in 187l, it reads, "Erected in memory of the heroes of Charlestown who fell in the late Civil War." 4. Soldiers' and Sailors' Monument on "Boston Common," Massachusetts. Designed by Martin Milmore and dedicated in 1877.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
late 19th Century
maker
Adams, J. M.
ID Number
TE.E388178
catalog number
E388178
accession number
182022

medal

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1830
ID Number
NU.68.263.807
catalog number
68.263.807
accession number
281689

Ivory and Bone Yarn Swift

Swifts, or yarn-winders, were used in the home in place of an extra pair of hands. They held skeins of yarn or thread while it was being wound onto spools or rewound into measured lengths.
Description
Swifts, or yarn-winders, were used in the home in place of an extra pair of hands. They held skeins of yarn or thread while it was being wound onto spools or rewound into measured lengths. This is a particularly large example, which fastened to the edge of a table with the clamp on the bottom.
date made
19th century
maker
unknown
ID Number
TE.T03311.000
catalog number
T03311.000
accession number
59652

Oil Painting or Overpainted Print, Capturing a Sperm Whale

The most dangerous part of a dangerous job was working in the actual whaleboat, first chasing and then capturing and killing the prey.This picture is a copy or an overpainted example of a famous print first issued in 1835, believed to be the first indigenous American whaling prin
Description
The most dangerous part of a dangerous job was working in the actual whaleboat, first chasing and then capturing and killing the prey.
This picture is a copy or an overpainted example of a famous print first issued in 1835, believed to be the first indigenous American whaling print. It is derived from a sketch by whaleman Cornelius Hulsart, who lost an arm on the whaler Superior and subsequently became an artist.
The original print was one of a pair produced to raise money for Hulsart, and it was dedicated to Superior's owners N. & W.W. Billings of New London, Connecticut. It is a fairly accurate portrayal of the danger in approaching and killing a wounded, enraged whale. As shown by the red, bloody whale spout, the whalers have struck the prey’s lungs or arteries, but the animal was still strong enough to break a boat in half and flip a crewman into the water.
date or original painting
1835
whaleman and artist
Hulsart, Cornelius
owner of the ship Superior
N & W. W. Billings
ID Number
DL.65.0876
catalog number
65.0876
accession number
256396

Joseph Francis Congressional Gold Medal, United States, 1890

The 19th-century American inventor Joseph Francis received many honors after his metallic life-car rescued 200 stranded passengers from the Ayrshire shipwreck in 1850 and subsequently saved thousands more just from wrecks off the New Jersey shore.
Description
The 19th-century American inventor Joseph Francis received many honors after his metallic life-car rescued 200 stranded passengers from the Ayrshire shipwreck in 1850 and subsequently saved thousands more just from wrecks off the New Jersey shore. He was knighted by kings, emperors, and czars, and received numerous valuable gifts from all over the world. Despite these accolades, decades passed before Francis’ own country recognized his accomplishments.
In 1859, a Captain Douglass Ottinger of the U.S Revenue Cutter Service had applied for a relief grant from Congress for unspecified, unverified and unsupported lifecar inventions. Joseph Francis was in Europe at the time and unaware of Ottinger’s claim. With no information to the contrary, Congress granted Ottinger $10,000 for inventing the lifecar. Francis returned from Europe in 1862, too late to address Ottinger’s claims.
In February 1886, a Congressional resolution for a gold medal for Francis was proposed, but Ottinger’s senator stonewalled the resolution on behalf of his constituent. This delayed debate long enough to prevent a presidential signature on the action. Later, Senator William M. Evarts of New York introduced legislation to award Francis with the Congressional Gold Medal, the highest civilian honor bestowed by the legislative branch upon a particular person. The bill passed without opposition on August 27, 1888, signaling to the U.S. Mint that it should begin creating the medal.
Each Congressional Gold Medal is unique, crafted to specifically commemorate the honoree, and Francis’ was designed by Zeleima Bruff Jackson and modeled by the famous American sculptor Louis St. Gaudens. St. Gaudens is best known for his monumental statuary, which may be locally seen at Washington’s Union Station and the Library of Congress. He was also interested in the art of medals and coins.
Francis’s three-pound medal was forged in solid gold, and valued at $6,000 in 1889. When President Benjamin Harrison presented Joseph Francis with the award in the White House’s Blue Room, he spoke of the thousands of people rescued by Francis’ devotion to improving life-saving equipment. “Not many of these have been able to know or thank the man who saved them,” the President said in his address. “But the nation today voices the gratitude of these and many thousands more who will owe their deliverance to you.”
In 1890, Francis donated his medal to the Smithsonian, together with a diamond-encrusted snuff box from French emperor Napoleon III. Here, they joined his lifecar and associated lifesavings materials given earlier to the people of the United States.
date made
1890
original issue
1888
inventor of metallic life-car
Francis, Joseph
refused to sign declaration for medal
Cleveland, Grover
Introduced legislation to award Joseph Francis the medal.
Evarts, William M.
presenter
Harrison, Benjamin
designer
Saint-Gaudens, Augustus
obverse engraver
Saint-Gaudens, Louis
reverse engraver
Saint-Gaudens, Louis
editor
United States Congress, 51st
manufacturer
United States Mint
obverse designer
Jackson, Zeleima
reverse designer
Jackson, Zeleima
ID Number
NU.23240.0002
accession number
23240
catalog number
5694

Scrimshaw Sperm Whale Tooth, mid 19th Century

The entire surface of this small sperm whale tooth is highly polished, but only one side is carved. A couple stands under a leafy vine, and the vine motif is echoed on the hem of the woman's floor length dress.
Description
The entire surface of this small sperm whale tooth is highly polished, but only one side is carved. A couple stands under a leafy vine, and the vine motif is echoed on the hem of the woman's floor length dress. The front of her dress has an apron design, and she wears a kerchief at her neck and a small flat-brimmed hat perched on her head. She holds hands with a man wearing a waist-length cape over his shoulders, speckled chaps or trousers with slash pockets and pointed shoes or boots. He is also wearing a button-down shirt with vertical stripes and a large flat-brimmed hat, almost providing the effect of a western cowboy style outfit.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
mid 19th century
ID Number
1978.0052.12
accession number
1978.0052
catalog number
1978.52.12

Scrimshaw Sperm Whale Tooth, mid 19th Century

One side of this tooth depicts a sailor with his legs spread wide for balance. In his right hand he holds a sword; in his left hand is a British flag on a short pole. A wide brimmed hat is on his head and a kerchief circles his neck.
Description
One side of this tooth depicts a sailor with his legs spread wide for balance. In his right hand he holds a sword; in his left hand is a British flag on a short pole. A wide brimmed hat is on his head and a kerchief circles his neck. Below are engraved the initials “R.D.” On the other side, a three-masted sailing ship clips along under a heavy wind. Its flag and pennant are too small to identify; ten gun ports are visible along the port side. These do not necessarily indicate a warship, however; many merchant vessels had gun ports painted along their hulls to look like warships from a distance. This would keep away pirates or enemies. The engraving is shallow and faint on this tooth, and any black pigment that might have been wiped into the lines for contrast has not lasted.
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
1978.0052.34
accession number
1978.0052
catalog number
1978.52.34

Scrimshaw Ivory Whale Stamp, mid 19th Century

Generally carved from sperm whales teeth, whale stamps were used in whaleships’ official logbooks to record the type of whales captured on any given day, and the number of barrels of oil the whales yielded once its blubber or fat was boiled down into liquid.This whale stamp appea
Description
Generally carved from sperm whales teeth, whale stamps were used in whaleships’ official logbooks to record the type of whales captured on any given day, and the number of barrels of oil the whales yielded once its blubber or fat was boiled down into liquid.
This whale stamp appears to be made of two pieces of ivory. It has a “P” pinpricked into its top, and below are two parallel rings of pin pricks. Below is pricked the word “SPERM”, below which the whale ship’s name “PROGRESS” is pinpricked. On the opposite side of the round stamp are the letters “N.B.”; probably the carver’s initials. On the bottom is a long whale’s body with a hole in the middle to write the number of barrels of oil obtained from each whale recorded.
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
1980.0260.01
accession number
1980.0260
catalog number
80.0260.01
1980.0260.01

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