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 48 items.
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National Heroes Play Money
- Description (Brief)
- The Scovill Manufacturing Company of Waterbury, Connecticut produced this play money token during the early 20th century. The Scovill Company 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.
- Obverse: Bust of Ulysses Grant facing left. The legend reads: NATIONAL HEROES/ GEN. U. S. GRANT/ 1822/ 1885.
- Reverse: The legend reads: MAZUMA/ PLAY MONEY/ 25.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- depicted
- Grant, Ulysses S.
- maker
- Scovill Manufacturing Company
- ID Number
- 1981.0296.1537
- accession number
- 1981.0296
- catalog number
- 1981.0296.1537
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
Ulysses S. Grant Commemorative Token
- Description (Brief)
- This token was made by the Scovill Manufacturing Company of Waterbury, Connecticut during the mid-20th century. The Scovill Company 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, and commemorative tokens.
- Obverse: Bust of Ulysses S. Grant facing left. Legend: 18th PRESIDENT, U.S.A./1869-1877/ULYSSES S. GRANT
- Reverse: "THE AMERICAN CAESAR"/ SECOND LIEUTENANT IN MEXICAN WAR/ ROSE RAPIDLY FROM CAPTAIN TO GENERAL OF UNION FORCES IN CIVIL WAR/ THE SILENT MAN OF APPOMATTOX/ "UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER."
- Location
- Currently not on view
- depicted
- Grant, Ulysses S.
- maker
- Scovill Manufacturing Company
- ID Number
- 1981.0296.1642
- accession number
- 1981.0296
- catalog number
- 1981.0296.1642
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
Ulysses S. Grant Campaign Badge
- Description (Brief)
- This presidential campaign badge was made by the Scovill Manufacturing Company around 1868. The Scovill Company 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, and campaign badges.
- The badge features a tintype photograph of Ulysses S. Grant set into a brass frame, which would have originally been attached to a pin and displayed on clothing.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- depicted
- Grant, Ulysses S.
- maker
- Scovill Manufacturing Company
- ID Number
- 1981.0296.1069
- accession number
- 1981.0296
- catalog number
- 1981.0296.1069
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
Ulysses S. Grant Campaign Badge
- Description (Brief)
- This presidential campaign badge was made by the Scovill Manufacturing Company of Waterbury, Connecticut around 1868. The Scovill Company was established in 1802 as a button manufacturer that 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, and campaign badges.
- This badge features a tintype photograph of Ulysses S. Grant set into a circular brass frame.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- depicted
- Grant, Ulysses S.
- maker
- Scovill Manufacturing Company
- ID Number
- 1981.0296.1091
- accession number
- 1981.0296
- catalog number
- 1981.0296.1091
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
Ulysses S. Grant Campaign Star
- Description (Brief)
- This star-shaped badge was made by the Scovill Manufacturing Company of Waterbury, Connecticut around 1868. The Scovill Company was established in 1802 as a button manufacturer that 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, and campaign badges.
- This badge features a tintype photograph of Ulysses S. Grant set into a star-shaped brass badge. This badge likely would have originally had a pin on the back so it could be worn.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- depicted
- Grant, Ulysses S.
- maker
- Scovill Manufacturing Company
- ID Number
- 1981.0296.1096
- accession number
- 1981.0296
- catalog number
- 1981.0296.1096
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
Ulysses S. Grant Badge
- Description (Brief)
- This presidential campaign badge was made by the Scovill Manufacturing Company of Waterbury, Connecticut around 1868. The Scovill Company was established in 1802 as a button manufacturer that 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, and campaign badges.
- This badge features a tintype photograph of Ulysses S. Grant set into a circular brass frame.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- depicted
- Grant, Ulysses S.
- maker
- Scovill Manufacturing Company
- ID Number
- 1981.0296.1100
- accession number
- 1981.0296
- catalog number
- 1981.0296.1100
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
Ulysses S. Grant Campaign Badge
- Description (Brief)
- This presidential campaign badge was made by the Scovill Manufacturing Company of Waterbury, Connecticut around 1868. The Scovill Company was established in 1802 as a button manufacturer that 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, and campaign badges.
- Obverse: Tintype photograph of Ulysses S. Grant labeled GEN. U.S. GRANT.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- depicted
- Grant, Ulysses S.
- maker
- Scovill Manufacturing Company
- ID Number
- 1981.0296.1133
- accession number
- 1981.0296
- catalog number
- 1981.0296.1133
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
Ulysses S. Grant Presidential Medal
- Description (Brief)
- This presidential medal was made by the Scovill Manufacturing Company of Waterbury, Connecticut around 1870. The Scovill Company was established in 1802 as a button manufacturer that 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, and medals.
- Obverse: Bust of Ulysses S. Grant facing left. The legend reads: PRESIDENT U.S. GRANT.
- Reverse: Legend reads: IN HONOR OF THE 15th AMENDMENT PROCLAMATION ISSUED MARCH 30th 1870.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- depicted
- Grant, Ulysses S.
- maker
- Scovill Manufacturing Company
- ID Number
- 1981.0296.1138
- accession number
- 1981.0296
- catalog number
- 1981.0296.1138
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
Ulysses S. Grant Campaign Badge
- Description (Brief)
- This presidential campaign badge was made by the Scovill Manufacturing Company of Waterbury, Connecticut around 1868. The Scovill Company was established in 1802 as a button manufacturer that 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, and campaign badges. The tintype picture of Grant is hanging from the beak of an eagle. The eagle has a pin on its back so that it could be worn on an article of clothing.
- Obverse: Tintype photograph of Ulysses S. Grant, labeled “GRANT” inside a shield-shaped frame.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- depicted
- Grant, Ulysses S.
- maker
- Scovill Manufacturing Company
- ID Number
- 1981.0296.1167
- accession number
- 1981.0296
- catalog number
- 1981.0296.1167
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
Ulysses S. Grant Campaign Badge
- Description (Brief)
- This presidential campaign badge was made by the Scovill Manufacturing Company of Waterbury, Connecticut around 1868. The Scovill Company was established in 1802 as a button manufacturer that 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 campaign badges.
- Obverse: Photograph of Ulysses S. Grant and Schuyler Colfax that is labeled, “GRANT and COLFAX.” The photo is in an ornate silver-colored frame featuring a spread-winged eagle at the top, two unfurling red, white and blue American flags, and a scroll that reads “E PLURIBUS UNUM.”
- Location
- Currently not on view
- depicted
- Grant, Ulysses S.
- Colfax, Schuyler
- maker
- Scovill Manufacturing Company
- ID Number
- 1981.0296.1168
- accession number
- 1981.0296
- catalog number
- 1981.0296.1168
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
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