Miner’s Cap and Carbide Lamp

Description (Brief):

This cotton miner’s cap has a leather brim with a leather lamp bracket holding a carbide lamp. A small union pin that reads “United Mine Works of America @ 1934, Working Button” is attached to the side of the cap. Before head protection became mandatory in industrial workplaces, miner’s caps served as a way to mount their lamps.

Description (Brief)

The union pin on this mining cap speaks to the personal connections miner’s had with their cap. A miner chose their headgear, and took it with them to work where it was worn all day and used for decades. It wasn’t uncommon for miner’s to personalize their helmet with stickers or their caps with pins.

Location: Currently not on view

See more items in: Work and Industry: Mining, Work, Industry & Manufacturing, Natural Resources, Mining Helmets

Exhibition:

Exhibition Location:

Credit Line: Walter Rothacker

Data Source: National Museum of American History

Id Number: AG.MHI-MN-9526AAccession Number: 277982Catalog Number: MHI-MN-9526A

Object Name: cap, mining

Measurements: overall: 5 in x 8 in x 11 in; 12.7 cm x 20.32 cm x 27.94 cm

Guid: http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ng49ca746a6-f00d-704b-e053-15f76fa0b4fa

Record Id: nmah_872203

Our collection database is a work in progress. We may update this record based on further research and review. Learn more about our approach to sharing our collection online.

If you would like to know how you can use content on this page, see the Smithsonian's Terms of Use. If you need to request an image for publication or other use, please visit Rights and Reproductions.