Selden Automobile Patent Model, 1879
Selden Automobile Patent Model, 1879
- Description
- George Selden's dubious claim that he invented the automobile cast a shadow on the early auto manufacturing industry. His claim rested on a patent application for a "road-engine" that he had filed in 1879. A lawyer schooled in science, Selden was intrigued by the challenge of devising an engine light enough to propel a road vehicle. He designed a small, improved version of George Brayton's compression engine of 1872 and filed a patent application for "a liquid-hydrocarbon engine of the compression type" combined with broadly defined chassis components. Selden deliberately delayed issuance of the patent until 1895, when automobiles were attracting more attention. Soon a patent-pooling association of auto manufacturing companies demanded and received royalties from other manufacturers for the right to produce Selden's "invention." Henry Ford, then just entering the automobile industry, became locked in a highly-publicized legal battle with the Selden interests when his application for a license was turned down in 1903. Ford blasted monopolistic control and exploitation by the "automobile trust" and forever fixed his image as an independent businessman fighting a corporate Goliath for the good of all. Ford's victory in court raised his standing in the automotive industry and made him one of the best known businessmen in America. In 1911 the Selden patent was limited to vehicles with Brayton-type engines as modified by Selden, and his influence quickly faded.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- Object Name
- patent model, automobile, gasoline
- Object Type
- Patent Model
- Date made
- 1879
- patent date
- 1895-11-05
- inventor
- Selden, George B.
- associated place
- United States: New York, Rochester
- Measurements
- overall: 7 1/2 in x 6 1/2 in x 11 in; 19.05 cm x 16.51 cm x 27.94 cm
- ID Number
- TR.252678
- catalog number
- 252678
- accession number
- 49064
- patent number
- 549,160
- See more items in
- Work and Industry: Transportation, Road
- Industry & Manufacturing
- National Treasures exhibit
- Transportation
- Road Transportation
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
Nominate this object for photography.
Our collection database is a work in progress. We may update this record based on further research and review. Learn more about our approach to sharing our collection online.
If you would like to know how you can use content on this page, see the Smithsonian's Terms of Use. If you need to request an image for publication or other use, please visit Rights and Reproductions.
