Industry & Manufacturing - Overview
The Museum's collections document centuries of remarkable changes in products, manufacturing processes, and the role of industry in American life. In the bargain, they preserve artifacts of great ingenuity, intricacy, and sometimes beauty.
The carding and spinning machinery built by Samuel Slater about 1790 helped establish the New England textile industry. Nylon-manufacturing machinery in the collections helped remake the same industry more than a century later. Machine tools from the 1850s are joined by a machine that produces computer chips. Thousands of patent models document the creativity of American innovators over more than 200 years.
The collections reach far beyond tools and machines. Some 460 episodes of the television series Industry on Parade celebrate American industry in the 1950s. Numerous photographic collections are a reminder of the scale and even the glamour of American industry.
"Industry & Manufacturing - Overview" showing 21 items.
Page 1 of 3
Presidential Campaign Button
- Description (Brief)
- The Scovill Manufacturing Company of Waterbury, Connecticut produced this William Henry Harrison campaign button in 1840. Scovill was established in 1802 as a button manufacturer and is still in business today. Scovill was an early industrial American innovator, adapting armory manufacturing processes to mass-produce a variety of consumer goods including buttons, daguerreotype mats, medals, coins, and tokens.
- This circular button has the image of a log cabin with a barrel of hard cider by the door. William Henry Harrison called himself “the log cabin and hard cider candidate" to depict himself as a man of the people.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- maker
- Scovill Manufacturing Company
- ID Number
- 1981.0296.1308
- accession number
- 1981.0296
- catalog number
- 1981.0296.1308
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
Button
- Description (Brief)
- The Scovill Manufacturing Company of Waterbury, Connecticut produced this button in the middle of the 19th century. Scovill was established in 1802 as a button manufacturer that is still in business today. Scovill is an important example of early American industrial manufacturing that adapted armory machines to mass-produce a variety of consumer goods including buttons, daguerreotype mats, medals, coins, and tokens.
- The circular button has the image of a log cabin. This image was used by a variety of Presidential candidates to depict themselves as rugged men of the people.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- maker
- Scovill Manufacturing Company
- ID Number
- 1981.0296.1309
- accession number
- 1981.0296
- catalog number
- 1981.0296.1309
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
Button
- Description (Brief)
- The Scovill Manufacturing Company of Waterbury, Connecticut produced this button in the middle of the 19th century. Scovill was established in 1802 as a button manufacturer that is still in business today. Scovill is an important example of early American industrial manufacturing that adapted armory machines to mass-produce a variety of consumer goods including buttons, daguerreotype mats, medals, coins, and tokens.
- The circular button has the image of a log cabin. This image was used by a variety of Presidential candidates to depict themselves as rugged men of the people.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- maker
- Scovill Manufacturing Company
- ID Number
- 1981.0296.1310
- accession number
- 1981.0296
- catalog number
- 1981.0296.1310
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
Maryland State Seal Button
- Description (Brief)
- The Scovill Manufacturing Company of Waterbury, Connecticut produced this button around the middle of the 19th century. Scovill was established in 1802 as a button manufacturer that is still in business today. Scovill is an important example of early American industrial manufacturing that adapted armory machines to mass-produce a variety of consumer goods including buttons, daguerreotype mats, medals, coins, and tokens.
- The button bears Maryland’s seal, the crest with the Calvert arms, supported by a farmer and a fisherman, an eagle over the crest , and a scroll that reads “CRESCITE ET MULTIPLICAMINI.”
- Location
- Currently not on view
- maker
- Scovill Manufacturing Company
- ID Number
- 1981.0296.1555
- accession number
- 1981.0296
- catalog number
- 1981.0296.1555
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
Button
- Description (Brief)
- The Scovill Manufacturing Company of Waterbury, Connecticut produced this button around the middle of the 19th century. Scovill was established in 1802 as a button manufacturer that is still in business today. Scovill is an important example of early American industrial manufacturing that adapted armory machines to mass-produce a variety of consumer goods including buttons, daguerreotype mats, medals, coins, and tokens.
- The button has the image of a closed hand holding onto a sheaf of grain.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- maker
- Scovill Manufacturing Company
- ID Number
- 1981.0296.1556
- accession number
- 1981.0296
- catalog number
- 1981.0296.1556
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
Button
- Description (Brief)
- The Scovill Manufacturing Company of Waterbury, Connecticut produced this button around the middle of the 19th century. Scovill was established in 1802 as a button manufacturer that is still in business today. Scovill is an important example of early American industrial manufacturing that adapted armory machines to mass-produce a variety of consumer goods including buttons, daguerreotype mats, medals, coins, and tokens.
- The button has an image of a haloed lamb with cross and banner.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- maker
- Scovill Manufacturing Company
- ID Number
- 1981.0296.1557
- accession number
- 1981.0296
- catalog number
- 1981.0296.1557
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
George Washington Token
- Description (Brief)
- The Scovill Manufacturing Company of Waterbury, Connecticut produced this token around the mid–19th century. Scovill was established in 1802 as a button manufacturer that is still in business today. Scovill is an important example of early American industrial manufacturing that adapted armory machines to mass-produce a variety of consumer goods including buttons, daguerreotype mats, medals, coins, and tokens.
- This brass token has a bust image of George Washington facing left.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- depicted
- Washington, George
- maker
- Scovill Manufacturing Company
- ID Number
- 1981.0296.1574
- accession number
- 1981.0296
- catalog number
- 1981.0296.1574
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
The Missess Volk; Sweet Caporal Cigarette
- Description (Brief)
- Celluloid button with photographic image of "The Misses Volk," two young women posed cheek to cheek. On the back a paper insert reads "Sweet Caporal Cigarette," and may be an advertisment for that company.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- after 1896
- advertiser
- American Tobacco Company
- maker
- Whitehead & Hoag Company
- ID Number
- 2006.0098.0398
- accession number
- 2006.0098
- catalog number
- 2006.0098.0398
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
Hanlan, Oarsman
- Description (Brief)
- Celluloid button with black and white photograph of man identified as "Hanlan, Oarsman."
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- after 1896
- advertiser
- American Tobacco Company
- maker
- Whitehead & Hoag Company
- ID Number
- 2006.0098.0403
- accession number
- 2006.0098
- catalog number
- 2006.0098.0403
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
Button
- Description (Brief)
- A celluloid button attached to a ribbon from which dangles a celluloid camel. The camel has a maker's mark, "Made in U.S.A." The button, decorated with an Egyptian motif, has no marks or maker's labels.
- date made
- ca 1920
- ID Number
- 2006.0098.1282
- accession number
- 2006.0098
- catalog number
- 2006.0098.1282
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
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