Hupmobile radiator emblem
Smithsonian Institution
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This object appears in the following sections:
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Hupmobile radiator emblem
Catalog #: 325,528,
Accession #: 260,303
Currently on display
From the Smithsonian Collection
Robert and Louis Hupp produced the first Hupmobile, a light runabout, in 1908. Sales steadily climbed, but the company was hit hard by the Depression, with sales falling by more than half. Hupmobile tried to survive by adapting body designs from other vehicles to Hupmobile's running gear, but the company eventually had to close in 1940. |
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Physical Description |
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Dimensions (in mm): 4.1 L x 8.4 W x .3 D
Inscriptions: Hupmobile
Materials: metal
Colors: white, black, silver
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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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