This radiator emblem belonged to a Cameron car that was produced by the Cameron Car Company in Brockton, Massachusetts between 1906 and 1908. The company started in Pawtucket, Rhode Island in 1903, then moved to Brockton, then opened plants in New London, Connecticut, Attica, Ohio, and Alma, Michigan in 1909. The company operated until 1915, when financing ran out and the outbreak of World War I made some materials hard to obtain. This emblem reads “THE CAMERON CAR CO/BROCKTON, MASS.”
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.
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