Work - Overview
The tools, rules, and relationships of the workplace illustrate some of the enduring collaborations and conflicts in the everyday life of the nation. The Museum has more than 5,000 traditional American tools, chests, and simple machines for working wood, stone, metal, and leather. Materials on welding, riveting, and iron and steel construction tell a more industrial version of the story. Computers, industrial robots, and other artifacts represent work in the Information Age.
But work is more than just tools. The collections include a factory gate, the motion-study photographs of Frank and Lillian Gilbreth, and more than 3,000 work incentive posters. The rise of the factory system is measured, in part, by time clocks in the collections. More than 9,000 items bring in the story of labor unions, strikes, and demonstrations over trade and economic issues.
"Work - Overview" showing 3404 items.
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Rigged Model, Sidewheel Cotton Packet J.M. White
- Description
- The Mississippi River sidewheel steamboat J.M. White was built at Jeffersonville, Ind., in 1878 for the Greenville and New Orleans Packet Company. Measuring 321’ long and 91’ in beam across the paddlebox guards, the White only sat 10’-6” deep in the water when fully laden. The steamboat was designed for Mississippi River packet service between New Orleans, La., and Greenville, Miss.
- The White was one of the largest, most expensive, luxurious, and most powerful river steamers ever built, with 2,800 horsepower and a capacity of 250 first-class passengers and 10,000 bales of cotton. Named after famous riverboat captain J. M. White (1823–1880), the “supreme triumph in cotton boat architecture” was a masterpiece of the gaudy, glamorous style known as “steamboat Gothic.” It had multiple bridal chambers; stained glass skylights and windows; rare wood veneers and gilded finishes; seven gilded “Egyptian-style” chandeliers; a sterling silver Tiffany water cooler in the 250’-long main cabin; monogrammed flatware and china; and a full concert grand piano.
- The White spent most of its eight-year career in service on the Mississippi River between New Orleans and Vicksburg, Miss. Despite its economy of size, the White’s high initial $220,000 cost, a spotty economy, and the rapidly expanding railroad network made the steamboat unprofitable. It caught fire, blew up, and burned to the waterline at a Louisiana landing in December 1886, killing several aboard.
- Date made
- 1974
- built
- 1878
- used date
- late 19th century
- ID Number
- TR*334847
- catalog number
- 334847
- accession number
- 315419
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
Photograph of Hog Island
- Description
- The United States entered World War I in April 1917. Within days, the federal government created the Emergency Fleet Corporation (EFC) to construct a fleet of merchant ships. The EFC hired the American International Shipbuilding Corporation to build and operate the largest shipyard in the world: Hog Island, near Philadelphia.
- Hog Island’s 50 shipways stretched a mile and a quarter along the Delaware River near Philadelphia. It abutted 846 acres with 250 buildings and 28 outfitting docks, on what is now the site of the Philadelphia International Airport. At its peak, the yard employed around 30,000 workers. Most were men, but some 650 women worked in the yard. Many of the workers had no factory experience, so they were trained on the job.
- At its peak, Hog Island launched a vessel every 5½ days, and its workers built 122 cargo and troop transport ships in four years. Although none saw service before the end of the war, the United States learned how to build large ships quickly on a grand scale from prefabricated parts. This valuable experience would expedite the Liberty and Victory ship building programs of World War II.
- date made
- 1919
- ID Number
- TR*335550.2
- catalog number
- 335550.2
- accession number
- 1977.0003
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
Fresnel Lighthouse Lens
- Description
- In the early nineteenth century, lighthouses in the United States were considered inferior to those in France and England. American mariners complained about the quality of the light emanating from local lighthouse towers, arguing that European lighthouses were more effective at shining bright beams of light over long distances. While American lighthouses relied on lamps and mirrors to direct mariners, European lighthouses were equipped with compact lenses that could shine for miles.
- In 1822, French scientist Augustin-Jean Fresnel was studying optics and light waves. He discovered that by arranging a series of lenses and prisms into the shape of a beehive, the strength of lighthouse beams could be improved. His lens—known as the Fresnel lens—diffused light into beams that could be visible for miles. Fresnel designed his lenses in several different sizes, or orders. The first order lens, meant for use in coastal lighthouses, was the largest and the strongest lens. The sixth order lens was the smallest, designed for use in small harbors and ports.
- By the 1860s, all of the lighthouses in the United States were fitted with Fresnel lenses. This lens came from a lighthouse on Bolivar Point, near Galveston, Texas. Galveston was the largest and busiest port in nineteenth-century Texas. Having a lighthouse here was imperative – the mouth of the bay provided entry to Houston and Texas City, as well as inland waterways. The Bolivar Point Light Station had second and third order Fresnel lenses over the years; this third order lens was installed in 1907. Its light could be seen from 17 miles away.
- On 16-17 August 1915, a severe hurricane hit Galveston. As the storm grew worse, fifty to sixty people took refuge in the Bolivar Point Light Station. Around 9:15 PM, the light’s turning mechanism broke, forcing assistant lighthouse keeper J.B. Brooks to turn the Fresnel lens by hand. By 10 PM, the vibrations from the hurricane were so violent that Brooks began to worry the lens might shatter. He ceased turning the lens, trimmed the lamp wicks and worked to maintain a steady light through the night. The next morning, Brooks left the lighthouse to find Bolivar Point nearly swept away by the water.
- Bolivar Point Light Station used this Fresnel lens until 1933. It was donated to the Smithsonian Institution by the National Park Service.
- date made
- 1822
- late 1800s
- all United States lighthouses outfitted with Fresnel lenses
- 1860s
- lens used during a severe hurricane at Bolivar Point
- 1917-08-16 - 1917-08-17
- donated to Smithsonian
- 1933
- inventor
- Fresnel, Augustin Jean
- ID Number
- TR*335567
- catalog number
- 335567
- accession number
- 1977.0626
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
Bryant’s New Showboat
- Description
- Bryant’s New Showboat was built at Point Pleasant, W. Va., in 1917. Launched in 1918, it could seat around 880 people in its theater. Most of the shows put on for Bryant’s patrons in small towns along the Kanawha, Ohio, Monongahela, Illinois, and Mississippi Rivers were vaudeville or follies productions.
- The ornate stage of Bryant’s New Showboat was home to dozens of plays like Hamlet and Little Nell of the Ozarks, and even the antics of a trained bucking mule named January. Owner Billy Bryant offered $10 to anyone who could stay on the animal’s back, but he had to retract that offer in mining towns, as the miners were strong enough to stay on.
- The vessel was sold to new owners in 1945, at the end of World War II. Movie theaters, personal automobiles and other developments had gradually ended the colorful showboat era on America’s rivers.
- Date made
- 1976
- ID Number
- TR*335568
- catalog number
- 335568
- accession number
- 1977.0630
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
Engraving Of Steam Snag Boat A. H. Sevier
- Description
- Snags—submerged or partially submerged trees and roots—were one of the main obstructions to navigation, particularly in the Mississippi River below St. Louis and in its larger western tributaries. A majority of the steamboat accidents up to 1849 were the result of collisions with snags. In 1828, steamboat builder Henry M. Shreve was appointed Superintendent of the Western Rivers, and the next year he completed the first steam snag boat, specially built to dislodge river debris. This mid-19th-century engraving taken from the Taylor & Crooks sketch book, St. Louis, 1858, provides an image of the 1840s generation of snag boats.
- These double-hulled craft incorporated an iron-sheathed snag beam at the bow, joining the two hulls. During operations, the boat was run full speed at the projecting snag, forcing it up and out of the water. The snag was then hauled onto the boat deck and cut into pieces. Snag boats were capable of removing snags weighing up to 75 tons.
- The A. H. Sevier, Snag Boat No 4, worked under the direction of the Superintendent of Western River Improvements, within the War Department. Built during the 1840s, each hull of the Sevier was about 150 feet long and 22 feet wide, with 12 feet between the twin hulls.
- In July 1855, the Sevier was auctioned off with all equipment and furnishings at St. Louis for $6,050. It was then chartered by the government in November for $50 per day, with the government responsible for repairs and damage above and beyond ordinary wear and tear. The Sevier continued to work on the Mississippi between the mouth of the Missouri to a point about 18 miles south of Vicksburg—almost 900 miles of operations.
- ID Number
- TR*336779
- catalog number
- 336779
- accession number
- 1979.0415
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
Scrimshaw Tooth
- Description
- Women and ships were the most popular subjects for scrimshaw carved by crewmen on long, slow whaling voyages. In this deeply engraved example, a beautifully coiffed and fashionable young lady, possibly in mourning dress, has pulled a locket from her bodice and is gazing at the image of a smiling young man. The curls of her girlish hairstyle would indicate that she is unmarried, although the traditional ring finger of her left hand is not shown. The mid-19th-century date of this tooth is suggested by the style of the dress.
- Date made
- ca 1840
- maker
- unknown
- ID Number
- TR*374506
- catalog number
- 374506
- accession number
- 136263
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
Corset and Whalebone Scrimshaw Busk
- Description
- For much of the 19th century, ladies’ fashion required very small waists. The most common way to achieve this was to wear a tightly laced corset, which could be adjusted according to the specific dress it accompanied. Like this example, many corsets were handmade to fit an individual, although they were also available in shops.
- One of the most intimate pieces of scrimshaw a whaleman could produce was a bone or baleen busk, or corset stiffener. These were carved and given to a crewman’s loved one, who then inserted it into a matching sleeve on her corset as a unique memento of her beloved’s feelings.
- Each of these busks has a cityscape etched into one side. The other side of one has eight pictures, topped by a portrait of a beautiful young woman. The other has a plaintive love poem on the back.
- date made
- mid-1800s
- collected
- 1951-06-29
- fashion
- 19th century
- ID Number
- TR*388604
- catalog number
- TR*388604
- accession number
- 182022
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
Whalebone Ruler
- Description
- “Straight edges” or rulers were used aboard ships as writing guides on the unlined pages of letters, journals and logbooks. The back side of this long stick is marked in 2-1/4, 4-1/2 and 9-inch sections, indicating another usage, probably by the ship’s cooper to measure the level of liquid (water, wine, beer or whale oil) in his wooden casks.
- date made
- 1800s
- collected
- 1960-07-26
- ID Number
- TR*61.49
- catalog number
- TR*61.49
- accession number
- 231930
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
Shipyard Volunteers Button
- Description
- A push to recruit 250,000 additional shipyard workers for the Hog Island shipyard in early 1918 led the Emergency Fleet Corporation to create the “U.S. Shipyard Volunteers.” Men who signed up to work in the yards were exempted from the military draft.
- In May 1918, shortly after the initiative began, New York led the drive with more than 81,800 volunteers, followed by Illinois and Massachusetts.
- date made
- ca 1919
- ID Number
- TR*63540.02
- accession number
- 63540
- catalog number
- 308554
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
Ship Model, Bugeye Lillie Sterling
- Description
- The bugeye was a type of sailing work boat unique to the Chesapeake Bay. Designed for oyster dredging, it was also used for hauling freight in the Bay’s shallow waters. This model, like the bugeye it represents, was built in 1885 by E. James Tull, a boatbuilder in Pocomoke City, Maryland. Tull displayed this model of the Lillie Sterling at the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair as part of an exhibit organized by the U.S. Bureau of Fisheries. He won a medal for the vessel’s practical design.
- Bugeyes were first built after the Civil War, when the Maryland state legislature repealed an 1820 ban on oyster dredging. Dredges--heavy iron frames holding long mesh bags--were introduced in the bay by New Englanders seeking to replenish northern oyster beds with Chesapeake oysters. Maryland lawmakers banned dredging and restricted oyster harvesting to residents of the state. But as markets expanded in the 1860s, the ban was lifted to allow dredging in certain areas of the bay. Fearful that dredging would deplete the bay’s oysters, lawmakers sought to limit the dredge’s efficiency by restricting its use to sailing vessels. This law ensured that sailing craft, not steamers, would dominate the Chesapeake’s oyster industry. To this day, oyster dredging is still carried out by sail-powered boats in Maryland.
- The first bugeyes were large log canoes, built of seven or nine logs that were hollowed out, shaped, and pinned together lengthwise. They were built with full decks, which provided a working platform for the crew to empty the dredges and sort through the catch. By the 1880s, bugeyes like the Lillie Sterling were constructed with full framing and planking instead of logs. Although bugeyes were widely used in the oyster trade for several decades, they were gradually replaced by skipjacks, an easier and cheaper vessel to build. The origin of the name "bugeye" remains unknown.
- date made
- 1885
- maker
- Tull, E. James
- ID Number
- TR*76256
- accession number
- 28022
- catalog number
- 76256
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center