Miner’s Cap and Carbide Lamp

Miner’s Cap and Carbide Lamp

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Description (Brief)
This cotton miner’s cap has a leather brim with a leather lamp bracket holding a carbide lamp. A small union pin that reads “United Mine Works of America 2 1934, Working Button” is attached to the side of the cap. Before head protection became mandatory in industrial workplaces, miner’s caps served as a way to mount their lamps.
The union pin on this mining cap speaks to the personal connections miner’s had with their cap. A miner chose their headgear, and took it with them to work where it was worn all day and used for decades. It wasn’t uncommon for miner’s to personalize their helmet with stickers or their caps with pins.
Object Name
lamp, carbide, cap, mining
cap, miners, lamp, carbide
date made
1930
Measurements
overall: 4 1/4 in x 3 1/2 in x 3 in; 10.795 cm x 8.89 cm x 7.62 cm
ID Number
AG.MHI-MN-9526B
catalog number
MHI-MN-9526B
accession number
277982
Credit Line
Walter Rothacker
See more items in
Work and Industry: Mining
Work
Industry & Manufacturing
American Enterprise
Natural Resources
Mining Helmets
Exhibition
American Enterprise
Exhibition Location
National Museum of American History
Data Source
National Museum of American History
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