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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Page 1 of 203
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bedstead
- date made
- ca 1920
- ID Number
- DL.314637.2411
- catalog number
- 314637.2411
- accession number
- 314637
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
-
Bismuth Subgallate
- Location
- Currently not on view
- maker
- Mackall Brothers
- ID Number
- MG.M-11218 [dup7]
- catalog number
- M-11218
- accession number
- 259750
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
-
Glass Christmas Ornament
- Description
- Molded glass holiday or Christmas ornament. Very small semi-sphere, with indent molded on one side. Mirrored silver with hot pink stripe around opening of indent, interior painted blue. No cap attached, thin metal wire loop inserted at top opening. No mark. Possibly made in Poland as it began exporting similar indented ornaments in the 1930s.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- 1890-1940
- ID Number
- DL.298065.0354
- catalog number
- 298065.0354
- accession number
- 298065
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
-
Glass Christmas Ornament
- Description
- Molded glass holiday or Christmas ornament. Semi-sphere, with molded indent or reflector on one side. Red over mirrored silver. Metal cap attached with thin bent metal loop inserted and bent crinkle wire attached for hanging. No mark. Possibly made in Poland as the country began exporting similar indented ornaments in the 1930s.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- 1890-1940
- ID Number
- DL.298065.0350
- catalog number
- 298065.0350
- accession number
- 298065
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
-
Glass Christmas Ornament
- Description
- Molded glass holiday or Christmas ornament. Semi-sphere, with faceted indent molded on one side. Mirrored silver with indent painted magenta. Metal cap attached, with thin bent wire loop inserted, very thin wire wrapped around loop and cap. No mark. Possibly made in Poland, as it began exporting similar indented ornaments in the 1930s.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- 1920-1940
- ID Number
- DL.298065.0357
- catalog number
- 298065.0357
- accession number
- 298065
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
-
Beaded Christmas Ornament
- Description
- Holiday or Christmas ornament, beaded, in the shape of a "shooting" star with a circle around the star. Star is comprised of molded glass beads, various shapes, yellow gold. Circle is comprised of molded glass beads, ribbed, alternating silver and green. "Tail" is comprised of molded glass beads, various shapes, yellow gold and silver. Connected with thin metal wire. Black thread tied in loop at top for hanging. No mark.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- 1890-1940
- ID Number
- DL.298065.0454
- catalog number
- 298065.0454
- accession number
- 298065
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
-
Glass Christmas Ornament
- Description
- Molded glass holiday or Christmas ornament. Iridescent silver/blue. Metal cap attached at top with thin bent wire loop and thin bent wire hook attached for hanging. Cap is stamped, but illegible. Possibly made in Japan due to similarity to several marked ornaments. In 1937, a tariff decision (no. 54387) reversed earlier decisions regarding the marking of ornaments with their country of origin, established in the 1890 MicKinley Tariff Act and the Smoot-Havley Tariff Act of 1930. The ornament itself now had to be marked with with its country of origin by stamping it into the cap or by way of tag or sticker.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- after 1937
- ID Number
- DL.298065.0323
- catalog number
- 298065.0323
- accession number
- 298065
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
-
Beaded Christmas Ornament
- Description
- Holiday or Christmas ornament, molded glass beads shaped into the silhouette of a house with a Greek cross in a circle in its center. Blue, green, red, silver, orange beads. Connected with thin metal wire and red string. Black thread tied into a loop at top for hanging. No marks.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- 1890-1940
- ID Number
- DL.298065.0453
- catalog number
- 298065.0453
- accession number
- 298065
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
-
Glass Christmas Ornament
- Description
- Molded glass holiday or Christmas ornament. Ball, red glass with white stripes and floral motif painted around center in a band. No cap attached. No mark.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- 1870-1900
- ID Number
- DL.298065.0266
- catalog number
- 298065.0266
- accession number
- 298065
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
-
Glass Christmas Ornament
- Description
- Molded glass holiday or Christmas ornament. Ball, red over mirrored silver. Metal cap attached, with thin bent wire loop inserted into top opening. Cap is stamped: “MADE IN/JAPAN”. In 1937, a tariff decision (no. 54387) reversed earlier decisions regarding the marking of ornaments with their country of origin, established in the 1890 MicKinley Tariff Act and the Smoot-Havley Tariff Act of 1930. The ornament itself now had to be marked with with its country of origin by stamping it into the cap or by way of tag or sticker.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- after 1937
- ID Number
- DL.298065.0345
- catalog number
- 298065.0345
- accession number
- 298065
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
-
Glass Christmas Ornament
- Description
- Molded glass holiday or Christmas ornament. Ball, mirrored silver, painted red at top and bottom. Green zig zag line around central silver band, with remnants of other motifs. No cap or hook attached. No mark.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- 1880-1900
- ID Number
- DL.298065.0355
- catalog number
- 298065.0355
- accession number
- 298065
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
-
Glass Christmas Ornament
- Description
- Molded glass holiday or Christmas ornament. Ball, mirrored silver with overcoat of matte cream-gold. Metal cap attached with thin bent metal loop inserted and crinkle wire attached for hanger. No mark.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- 1870-1910
- ID Number
- DL.298065.0263
- catalog number
- 298065.0263
- accession number
- 298065
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
-
Glass Christmas Ornament
- Description
- Molded glass holiday or Christmas ornament. Ball, small, hot pink over mirrored silver glass. Metal cap attached with thin bent wire loop inserted at top. Cap is stamped: "JAPAN". In 1937, a tariff decision (no. 54387) reversed earlier decisions regarding the marking of ornaments with their country of origin, established in the 1890 MicKinley Tariff Act and the Smoot-Havley Tariff Act of 1930. The ornament itself now had to be marked with with its country of origin by stamping it into the cap or by way of tag or sticker.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- after 1937
- ID Number
- DL.298065.0329
- catalog number
- 298065.0329
- accession number
- 298065
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
-
Glass Christmas Ornament
- Description
- Molded glass holiday or Christmas ornament. Ball, small, clear glass with overcoat of matte medium green. Possibly silvered originally. Gold metal cap attached, with bent metal loop and bent wire hook. No mark.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- 1870-1920
- ID Number
- DL.298065.0331
- catalog number
- 298065.0331
- accession number
- 298065
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
-
Glass Christmas Ornament
- Description
- Molded glass holiday or Christmas ornament. Very small ball, red over mirrored silver. No cap or hook attached. No mark.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- 1880-1910
- ID Number
- DL.298065.0346
- catalog number
- 298065.0346
- accession number
- 298065
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
-
Beaded Christmas Garland
- Description
- Holiday or Christmas decoration, garland comprised of alternating molded glass beads, some silvered and some green, some faceted, and long thin molded tubes, silvered, with three larger molded glass ball ornaments, transparent green. The larger balls have metal caps attached for hanging. Connected with white cotton string. One of the larger metal balls has a cap stamped: "MADE IN JAPAN". A paper tag on another section of the garland is also marked: "MADE IN JAPAN".
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- 1890-1940
- ID Number
- DL.298065.0456
- catalog number
- 298065.0456
- accession number
- 298065
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
-
Beaded Christmas Garland
- Description
- Holiday or Christmas decoration, garland, comprised of molded glass beads in the shape of walnuts. Alternating colors, mirrored silver and mirrored silver painted brown. Connected with white cotton string, bent metal hook attached. No mark.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- 1890-1940
- ID Number
- DL.298065.0445
- catalog number
- 298065.0445
- accession number
- 298065
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
-
Glass Christmas Ornament
- Description
- Molded glass holiday or Christmas ornament. Ball, clear green (un-silvered) glass. Metal cap attached, with thin bent wire loop inserted in top and bent wire hook attached. No mark. Cap does not seem to be original to this ornament as it is slightly too small for opening. Cap possibly older, circa 1920s-30s, possibly made in United States or Germany. Ornament possibly American, as ornaments made in America during WWII were often un-silvered and often had paper caps and hangers due to war-time shortages. It is possibly this ornament originally had a cap and paper hanger.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- ca 1943-1945
- ID Number
- DL.298065.0333
- catalog number
- 298065.0333
- accession number
- 298065
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
-
Glass Christmas Garland
- Description
- Holiday or Christmas decoration, garland, comprised of molded glass balls, opening on either end, strung together with white cotton string. Red, reflective. Cardboard tag attached reads "GERMANY".
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- 1890-1930
- ID Number
- DL.298065.0440
- catalog number
- 298065.0440
- accession number
- 298065
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
-
Glass Christmas Garland
- Description
- Holiday or Christmas decoration, garland, comprised of molded glass balls, opening on either end, strung together with white cotton string. Red, reflective. No mark.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- 1890-1930
- ID Number
- DL.298065.0437
- catalog number
- 298065.0437
- accession number
- 298065
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
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