Computers & Business Machines
Imagine the loss, 100 years from now, if museums hadn't begun preserving the artifacts of the computer age. The last few decades offer proof positive of why museums must collect continuously—to document technological and social transformations already underway.
The museum's collections contain mainframes, minicomputers, microcomputers, and handheld devices. Computers range from the pioneering ENIAC to microcomputers like the Altair and the Apple I. A Cray2 supercomputer is part of the collections, along with one of the towers of IBM's Deep Blue, the computer that defeated reigning champion Garry Kasparov in a chess match in 1997. Computer components and peripherals, games, software, manuals, and other documents are part of the collections. Some of the instruments of business include adding machines, calculators, typewriters, dictating machines, fax machines, cash registers, and photocopiers
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William Skinner and Sons silk moire black fabric length; 1932.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- 1932
- ID Number
- TE.T06936.000
- accession number
- 117978
- catalog number
- T06936.000
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
-
William Skinner and Sons silk georgette aqua blue fabric length; 1932.
- Description
- William Skinner and Sons silk georgette aqua blue fabric length; 1932. Thin, sheer, silk fabric, dull in texture with a "crepy" effect due to the right and left twist filling yarn. The warp is of finer crepe yarn arranged in pairs--spaced one end apart to give a shadow-like effect in the plain weave structure. Unweighted. Piece dyed aqua blue. Selvedge edges says "Skinner's" woven in the same color as the fabric. Construction: 120 ends -- 3 threads 13/15 crepe 2 right -2 left - 70 turns; 120 picks-3 thread 13/15 crepe 2 right-2 left - 70 turns. 47 inches in reed and 39 inches finished.
- William Skinner, a prominent silk manufacturer of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, moved his family and business to Holyoke, MA in 1874. At the time his family consisted of 2 daughters from his first marriage to Nancy Warner, Eleanor Skinner, and Nancy Skinner; along with his second wife Sarah Elizabeth Allen Skinner, and their children, Elizabeth Allen Skinner, William Cobbett Skinner, Joseph Allen Skinner, Ruth Isabelle (Belle) Skinner and Katharine Skinner. With an unlimited source of power and inexpensive immigrant labor available in Holyoke, the silk production and textile manufacturing business grew and profits increased. William Skinner remained at the head of the firm until his death in 1902 when control was turned over to his two sons William C. and Joseph. In 1961 the Skinner family sold the business, with all their trademarks and patents, to Indian Head Mills. The William Skinner & Sons silk and satin mills were earning sales revenues in the millions of dollars and employing over 1,000 people at the time of William Skinner’s death in 1902. As manufacturer of “Skinner’s Satins” he came to be widely known, and his own success was extended philanthropically to Holyoke and its people. The family maintained a residence in Holyoke at their home, Wistariahurst, for eighty years. The Skinners donated the property to the city of Holyoke in 1959. [From the Wistariahurst web site.]
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- 1932
- ID Number
- TE.T06930.000
- accession number
- 117978
- catalog number
- T06930.000
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
-
William Skinner and Sons silk serge overcoat lining brown fabric length; 1932.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- 1932
- ID Number
- TE.T06939.000
- accession number
- 117978
- catalog number
- T06939.000
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
-
William Skinner and Sons "Foundation Satin" silk corsetry fabric length; 1932.
- Description
- William Skinner and Sons silk corset fabric "Foundation Satin" fabric length; 1932. Heavy, close, lustrous, satin weave, all silk, single face fabric. Piece dyed in flesh color. Pure dye. Used for corsetry. Selvedge says "Skinner's" on wrong side of fabric woven in same color.
- William Skinner emigrated from England to Massachusetts in 1843, finding work as silk dyer. He eventually opened his own silk manufacturing company, the Unquomonk Silk Co., making silk threads and yarns for weaving and sewing. In 1874, the mill was destroyed when the Mill River Dam gave way. Skinner moved his company a few miles away, to Holyoke, Massachusetts, and rebuilt the mill, expanding production to include woven fabrics (Skinner satins were nationally famous) and silk braids. He ran the company until his death in 1902, and the firm stayed in the family, and remained in operation in Holyoke, until 1961, when his heirs sold it to Indian head Mills, which immediately closed the Holyoke operation.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- 1932
- ID Number
- TE.T06941
- accession number
- 117978
- catalog number
- T06941.000
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
-
Warm-up Jacket; William Skinner and Sons Sunbak fabric; 1951.
- Description
- Warm-up Jacket; William Skinner and Sons Sunbak fabric; 1951. Gold and Blue Warm-up Jacket made of trademark Skinner Sunbak viscose rayon satin face with self reverse wool back short pile. Fabric made in Holyoke, MA in 1951.
- Varsity-like gold athletic jacket with darker gold wool interior lining. Dark gold stretch wool knit band with dark blue stripes at waist, collar, and wrists. Metal zipper center front made by Talon. Dark stains right center front and on right zipper placket and throughout bottom back. Some holes and pilling on wool stretch fabric. Dotted marks on right sleeve near hem. Fiber content by wieght: 65% rayon and 35% wool. 100% vrigin wool nap and Genuine Skinner lining. Machine stitched and interior seams serged. Flat-felled seams at side seams, shoulder, armscye. Welt pockets on center front left and right. See TE.T09675.000 for fabric length of the Sunbak.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- 1951
- maker
- William Skinner and Sons
- ID Number
- TE.T10985.000
- catalog number
- T10985.000
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
-
JTC 73752 Punch Card Associated with the MIT Information Processing Center
- Description
- This cream-colored eighty-column punch card has an orange stripe across the top. It shows the logo of the MIT Information Processing Center. A mark along the left edge reads: INFORMATION PROCESSING CENTER. A mark along the right edge reads: MASSACHUSETTS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY. A mark along the bottom edge at the left reads: JTC73752. A mark along the bottom edge toward the right reads: Printed in U.S.A.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- 1960s-1970s
- user
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology
- maker
- Jersey Tab Card Corporation
- ID Number
- 1996.0142.26
- catalog number
- 1996.0142.26
- accession number
- 1996.0142
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
-
Capezio Ballet shoes; William Skinner Nylon satin; 1946
- Description
- Capezio Ballet shoes; William Skinner Nylon satin; 1946. Black nylon satin outer made as application of fabric T9665 with white twill canvas cotton inner lining. Leather soles produced by Capezio. Sold by Lord + Taylor. Size 5 1/2. Very stiff soles, non-flexible. Insole glued to shoe base. Leather sole glue to shoe. Nylon string drawn through bias tape around shoe opening to adjust sizing. Upper is four pieces, machine stitched with side seams on left and right sides of shoes. Sole is one piece. Fabric strip on center back exterior to conceal back seam. Interior of shoe is two pieces. Bias tape machine stitched. Nylon woven in Holyoke, MA. Dark marks and raised stains on left sole. Brown staining on internior left and right.
- William Skinner emigrated from England to Massachusetts in 1843, finding work as silk dyer. He eventually opened his own silk manufacturing company, the Unquomonk Silk Co., making silk threads and yarns for weaving and sewing. In 1874, the mill was destroyed when the Mill River Dam gave way. Skinner moved his company a few miles away, to Holyoke, Massachusetts, and rebuilt the mill, expanding production to include woven fabrics (Skinner satins were nationally famous) and silk braids. He ran the company until his death in 1902, and the firm stayed in the family, and remained in operation in Holyoke, until 1961, when his heirs sold it to Indian head Mills, which immediately closed the Holyoke operation.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- 1946
- maker
- William Skinner and Sons
- Capezio
- ID Number
- TE.T09667A-B
- accession number
- 172805
- catalog number
- T09667A-B
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
-
William Skinner and Sons dark blue cotton back, silk face satin length; 1914
- Description
- William Skinner and Sons silk satin face cotton back dark blue fabric length; 1914. One edge is pinked and the other is cut with frayed edges. Satin face is very shiny in comparison to the dull cotton backing. "Skinner's Satin" is woven in the red selvedge edge.
- William Skinner emigrated from England to Massachusetts in 1843, finding work as silk dyer. He eventually opened his own silk manufacturing company, the Unquomonk Silk Co., making silk threads and yarns for weaving and sewing. In 1874, the mill was destroyed when the Mill River Dam gave way. Skinner moved his company a few miles away, to Holyoke, Massachusetts, and rebuilt the mill, expanding production to include woven fabrics (Skinner satins were nationally famous) and silk braids. He ran the company until his death in 1902, and the firm stayed in the family, and remained in operation in Holyoke, until 1961, when his heirs sold it to Indian head Mills, which immediately closed the Holyoke operation.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- 1914
- maker
- William Skinner and Sons
- ID Number
- TE.T01233.000
- catalog number
- T01233.000
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
-
William Skinner and Sons red silk crepe fabric length; 1932.
- Description
- William Skinner and Sons silk plain weave crepe red fabric length; 1932. Harsh, lustrous, reversible, plain weave fabric made with yarn having a crepe twist, similar to crepe-de-chine, but heavier in texture. Unweighted. Known commerically as Canton Crepe. Piece dyed poppy red. The selvedge has "Skinner's" woven into it in the same color as the fabric.
- William Skinner emigrated from England to Massachusetts in 1843, finding work as silk dyer. He eventually opened his own silk manufacturing company, the Unquomonk Silk Co., making silk threads and yarns for weaving and sewing. In 1874, the mill was destroyed when the Mill River Dam gave way. Skinner moved his company a few miles away, to Holyoke, Massachusetts, and rebuilt the mill, expanding production to include woven fabrics (Skinner satins were nationally famous) and silk braids. He ran the company until his death in 1902, and the firm stayed in the family, and remained in operation in Holyoke, until 1961, when his heirs sold it to Indian head Mills, which immediately closed the Holyoke operation.]
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- 1932
- ID Number
- TE.T06928.000
- accession number
- 117978
- catalog number
- T06928.000
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
-
Ayer's American Almanac 1892
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- 1892
- 1891
- Associated Name
- Dr. J. C. Ayer and Company
- maker
- Dr. J. C. Ayer and Company
- ID Number
- 2008.3006.004
- catalog number
- 2008.3006.004
- nonaccession number
- 2008.3006
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
-
Baby's Sacque coat; William Skinner and Sons Sunbak fabric, 1951
- Description
- Baby's sacque style coat sample; William Skinner and Sons Sunbak fabric, 1951.
- Cream colored and hand embroidered baby sacque coat made from Skinner trademark Sunbak double-faced fabric - viscose rayon twill face with wool serge with brushed (?) pile. Fabric made in 1951 in Holyoke, MA. Pink, white, blue, and green floral embroidery on the front only. at the nexk and center front corners at the hem. 2.25 inch by 2.25 inch embroidery at hem, 4.5 inch length of three floral pieces at neck. Blanket stitching in pink used to finish all edges. Face is turned down onto wrong side and whipstitched in place in white thread. Fabric is 66% rayon and 34% wool. The sacque is cut in one piece with serged side seams. There are no shoulder seams or armscye. Flared hem and straight center front line. Pink ribbon center front is hand stitched onto garment. Brown spot stains and light discoloration throughout. Was clearly cut using pen to mark the cutting and stitching lines as marks are still visible. Pen was also used to mark outline for embroidered areas. Long pencil marks also visible on front.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- 1951
- maker
- William Skinner and Sons
- ID Number
- TE.T10984.000
- catalog number
- T10984.000
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
-
William Skinner and Sons silk satin face cotton back black fabric length; 1932.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- 1932
- ID Number
- TE.T06932.000
- accession number
- 117978
- catalog number
- T06932.000
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
-
Men's necktie; Wm. Skinner and Sons, jeep design, printed rayon crepe; 1945
- Description
- Men's printed necktie; William Skinner and Sons. Viscose rayon crepe jacquard; 1945. World War II Jeep design, printed on viscose rayon crepe jacquard necktie, made in 1945. Thread provided by William Skinner and Sons in Holyoke, MA, Screen printing and weaving by A. Sulka & Company. Screen printed red figures, green Jeep, and dark blue background forming pattern no. 9158 small army automobile. Made of T.9141.01. Off-color jacquard all viscose rayon crepe. Same fabric as T-9137 after steaming. Satin circles on fabric. Machine stitched center back rectangle. Hand stitched body. White lining.
- William Skinner emigrated from England to Massachusetts in 1843, finding work as silk dyer. He eventually opened his own silk manufacturing company, the Unquomonk Silk Co., making silk threads and yarns for weaving and sewing. In 1874, the mill was destroyed when the Mill River Dam gave way. Skinner moved his company a few miles away, to Holyoke, Massachusetts, and rebuilt the mill, expanding production to include woven fabrics (Skinner satins were nationally famous) and silk braids. He ran the company until his death in 1902, and the firm stayed in the family, and remained in operation in Holyoke, until 1961, when his heirs sold it to Indian head Mills, which immediately closed the Holyoke operation.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- 1945
- maker
- A. Sulka & Company
- William Skinner and Sons
- ID Number
- TE.T09141.002
- accession number
- 170051
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
-
Baby Shoes; William Skinner and Sons Sunbak fabric; 1951.
- Description
- White satin baby shoes; William Skinner and Sons Sunbak fabric; 1951. White Baby Shoes with White lace and Pink embroidery; made of Sunbak viscose rayon satin face with wool back serge; 1951; Holyoke, MA. Hand embroidered pink roses with green accent on toe and strap. Cotton lace trim on strap. Machine zig zag stitch to finish edges. Sole piece is turned up and stitched to the upper to bind the pieces together. There is no additional structure to the sole. The center back seam is hand stitched as is the lace trim. There are two mother-of-pearl like buttons on each shoe, one is decorative and one is functional. The accession file includes a photo enlargement of tthe patented weaving process for Sunbak fabric trademark of William Skinner and Sons.
- Hand embroidered pink roses with green accent on toe and strap. Cotton lace trim on strap. Machine zig zag stitch to finish edges. Sole piece is turned up and stitched to the upper to bind the pieces together. There is no additional structure to the sole. The center back seam is hand stitched as well as the lace trim. There are two mother-of-pearl like buttons on each shoe, one is decorative and one is functional. The accession file includes a photo enlargement of tthe patented weaving process for Sunbak fabric trademark of William Skinner and Sons.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- 1951
- maker
- William Skinner and Sons
- ID Number
- TE.T10981.000
- catalog number
- T10981.000
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
-
William Skinner and Sons blue silk satin fabric length; 1914.
- Description
- William Skinner and Sons blue silk satin fabric length; 1914. Medium blue colored silk satin with red selvedge edge that reads Skinner's 404. Edges are cut and are frayed. Satin weave.
- William Skinner emigrated from England to Massachusetts in 1843, finding work as silk dyer. He eventually opened his own silk manufacturing company, the Unquomonk Silk Co., making silk threads and yarns for weaving and sewing. In 1874, the mill was destroyed when the Mill River Dam gave way. Skinner moved his company a few miles away, to Holyoke, Massachusetts, and rebuilt the mill, expanding production to include woven fabrics (Skinner satins were nationally famous) and silk braids. He ran the company until his death in 1902, and the firm stayed in the family, and remained in operation in Holyoke, until 1961, when his heirs sold it to Indian head Mills, which immediately closed the Holyoke operation.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- 1914
- ID Number
- TE.T01232.000
- accession number
- 56703
- catalog number
- T01232.000
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
-
William Skinner and Sons silk slipper satin fabric length; 1932.
- Description
- William Skinner and Sons slipper satin, silk face, cotton back fabric length; 1932. Heavy, close, lustrous, smooth surface warp face, satin weave fabric for women's shoes which are dyed to match the colors of the wearers'gowns. Cotton back and Silk warp face. Piece dyed white currently, would have been dyed to be used for shoes to match a gown. Selvedge has "Skinner's" woven in the same color as fabric. Small punctures and round imprints surrounding the puctures seen throughout fabric.
- William Skinner, a prominent silk manufacturer of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, moved his family and business to Holyoke, MA in 1874. At the time his family consisted of 2 daughters from his first marriage to Nancy Warner, Eleanor Skinner, and Nancy Skinner; along with his second wife Sarah Elizabeth Allen Skinner, and their children, Elizabeth Allen Skinner, William Cobbett Skinner, Joseph Allen Skinner, Ruth Isabelle (Belle) Skinner and Katharine Skinner. With an unlimited source of power and inexpensive immigrant labor available in Holyoke, the silk production and textile manufacturing business grew and profits increased. William Skinner remained at the head of the firm until his death in 1902 when control was turned over to his two sons William C. and Joseph. In 1961 the Skinner family sold the business, with all their trademarks and patents, to Indian Head Mills. The William Skinner & Sons silk and satin mills were earning sales revenues in the millions of dollars and employing over 1,000 people at the time of William Skinner’s death in 1902. As manufacturer of “Skinner’s Satins” he came to be widely known, and his own success was extended philanthropically to Holyoke and its people. The family maintained a residence in Holyoke at their home, Wistariahurst, for eighty years. The Skinners donated the property to the city of Holyoke in 1959. [From the Wistariahurst web site.]
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- 1932
- ID Number
- TE.T06931.000
- accession number
- 117978
- catalog number
- T06931.000
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
-
William Skinner and Sons Nylon Twill: "Combat Cloth" Irish green fabric length 1946.
- Description
- William Skinner and Sons Nylon Twill: "Combat Cloth" Irish green fabric length 1946.
- Fine, smooth, slightly stiff, close fabric. Used for soles of electrically heated shoes, casualty blankets, coating purposes for government development, footballpants,and basketball uniforms. See T09669.000 (football pants) for application of fabric in different color. Commercially called Combat Cloth. Color Irish Green. 3/1 twill weave to the right. Yarn sizes - warp is 70/34/7, weft is 210/34/1. 100% nylon.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- 1946
- ID Number
- TE.T09671.000
- accession number
- 172805
- catalog number
- T09671.000
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
-
William Skinner and Sons satin silk face cotton back amber fabric length; 1934.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- 1934
- maker
- William Skinner and Sons
- ID Number
- TE.T07594.000
- catalog number
- T07594.000
- accession number
- 127991
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
-
Jacket lining, William Skinner and Sons Sunbak fabric; 1951
- Description
- Jacket lining, William Skinner and Sons Sunbak fabric; 1951. William Skinner and Sons; Tan and Green Zip-in Lining; Sunbak (Skinner trademark) wool pile reverse with rayon satin face; Holyoke, MA.
- Sample of a zip-in lining for a US Army field jacket. Army tan color; Skinner's Sunbak fabric with 100% virgin wool pile backing and greenish gray rayon satin face. 65% rayon 35% wool. Tan zipper with silver metal made by Talon. 10.5 inch vent on center back hem with a button 7.5 inches up from hem and bias tape loop. Machine stitched with bias tape to finish all seams and edges. Hand stitched label and button. Slight runs in satin face fabric on center back.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- 1951
- maker
- William Skinner and Sons
- ID Number
- TE.T10982.000
- catalog number
- T10982.000
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
-
Wm. Skinner and Sons camouflage pattern nylon parachute cloth sample; 1945
- Description
- A sample length of William Skinner & Sons nylon parachute cloth from World War II. A smooth, close, semi-transparent plain weave nylon fabric.; Camouflage design in two tones of green (medium and dark) on a lighter green ground with irregular shaped blotch patterns simulating foliage and according to the original paperwork from the manufacturer, designed as protective coloring for army parachutes.
- William Skinner emigrated from England to Massachusetts in 1843, finding work as silk dyer. He eventually opened his own silk manufacturing company, the Unquomonk Silk Co., making silk threads and yarns for weaving and sewing. In 1874, the mill was destroyed when the Mill River Dam gave way. Skinner moved his company a few miles away, to Holyoke, Massachusetts, and rebuilt the mill, expanding production to include woven fabrics (Skinner satins were nationally famous) and silk braids. He ran the company until his death in 1902, and the firm stayed in the family, and remained in operation in Holyoke, until 1961, when his heirs sold it to Indian head Mills, which immediately closed the Holyoke operation.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- 1945
- ID Number
- TE.T09146.000
- accession number
- 170051
- catalog number
- T09146.000
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
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