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Essex Super Six radiator emblem
Catalog #: 325,528,
Accession #: 260,303
Currently on display
From the Smithsonian Collection
The Essex was introduced by the Hudson Motor Car Company as a low-priced line of vehicles. Available for $1,295 in 1922, it was a best seller and pushed Hudson's sales up to an eventual ranking of 3rd in U.S. production. A Super Six made the first two-way transcontinental trip (from New York to San Francisco and back) in 1916. |
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Physical Description |
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Dimensions (in mm): 6.0 L x 5.3 W x 1.0 D
Inscriptions: ESSEX SUPER SIX USA
Materials: metal
Colors: black, silver, white
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Details |
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Credit: | Gift of Hubert G. Larson |
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History |
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Radiator emblems were colorful metal plates with a manufacturer's name or logo that attached to the radiators of early automobiles. Varying in shape and size, but never more than a few inches across, the emblems were small branding devices. As vehicles became more popular in a national market, people began associating the company name and logo on different vehicle models with a specific manufacturer. Radiator emblems sometimes indicated the type of engine or place of manufacturing. Other times they appealed directly to a driver's sense of style and class by using iconic images or a catchy motto.
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Related People, Places, and Events |
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Donor
Hubert G. Larson
In 1964 Hubert G. Larson donated a collection of 278 radiator emblems to the Smithsonian.
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