Energy & Power
The Museum's collections on energy and power illuminate the role of fire, steam, wind, water, electricity, and the atom in the nation's history. The artifacts include wood-burning stoves, water turbines, and windmills, as well as steam, gas, and diesel engines. Oil-exploration and coal-mining equipment form part of these collections, along with a computer that controlled a power plant and even bubble chambers—a tool of physicists to study protons, electrons, and other charged particles.
A special strength of the collections lies in objects related to the history of electrical power, including generators, batteries, cables, transformers, and early photovoltaic cells. A group of Thomas Edison's earliest light bulbs are a precious treasure. Hundreds of other objects represent the innumerable uses of electricity, from streetlights and railway signals to microwave ovens and satellite equipment.
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Haverly's European Mastodon Minstrels
- Description
- Colored print of a large band performing on the steps of the Capitol (south wing), during the inauguration of the president. A row of Honor Guards stands at attention on the steps, to either side of the band. A large crowd looks on. Haverly's United Mastodon Minstrels was a blackface performers created in 1877, when J. H. Haverly merged four of his companies. The group included a brass band and a drum corp. The shows included lavish scenery and often a circus act.
- Entertainment entrepreneur J. H. (Jack) Haverly (1837-1901) was born Christopher Haverly near Bellefonte, Pennsylvania. He launched his show business career in 1864 in Toledo, Ohio, where he purchased a variety theater. Inspired by entrepreneurs like P. T. Barnum, Haverly went on to manage other theaters, and he created minstrel and comic performance groups on the East Coast and in the Middle West. In the late 1870s he consolidated his troupes into a single company called the United Mastodon Minstrels which included forty performers, along with a brass band and drum corps. The group continued to grow and at one point had more than a hundred members. Around the same time, Haverly took control of a black performing group called Charles Callender's Original Georgia Minstrels, which he renamed Haverly’s Colored Minstrels. He promoted their performances as authentic depictions of black life, even creating a mock plantation with costumed actors portraying slaves and overseers. Haverly’s troupes toured the United States, usually appearing at his own theaters in cities like New York, Philadelphia, Chicago, and San Francisco. They also traveled to England and Scotland. Featuring lavish stage sets, extravagant special effects, and performers in blackface makeup and exotic costumes, his innovations inspired the creation of smaller minstrel shows during the late nineteenth century.
- This chromolithograph was produced by the Strobridge Lithographing Company. The Strobridge firm was founded in Cincinnati, Ohio ca 1847 by lithographer Elijah J. Middleton (cited in some sources as Elijah C. Middleton). Middleton was known as one of the pioneers of chromolithography in the United States. By 1854 another lithographer, W. R. Wallace, along with the bookseller Hines Strobridge (1823-1909) had joined the firm as partners. After the Civil War, Strobridge acquired sole ownership of the company and renamed it after himself. Strobridge and Company became especially well known for circus, theater, and movie posters. After leaving the company, Elijah Middleton established a reputation as a portrait publisher, producing prints of George and Martha Washington, Daniel Webster, and other American historical figures.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- ca 1880
- maker
- Strobridge Lithographing Company
- ID Number
- DL.60.2482
- catalog number
- 60.2482
- accession number
- 228146
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
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Musician's Uniform Frock Coat and Cap
- Description
- Physical Description
- Coat of dark blue with gold-colored buttons. Sky-blue trim indicating an infantry musician. Blue wool cap with black brim. Musician's insignia on crown.
- General History
- Most army musicians used their talent to provide signals in battle or cadence on marches. However, music went further than just imparting order. It provided vigor to weary souls or comfort to the distraught.
- General Philip H. Sheridan loved music and took a personal interest in bands. Performing under fire was commonplace for bands under his command. They performed at the front during battle playing the liveliest airs in their repertory. At Dinwiddie Court House, Sheridan massed all his musicians on the firing line with the order to “play the gayest tunes in their books. . . Play them loud and keep on playing them, and never mind if a bullet goes through a trombone, or even a trombonist, now and then.”
- ID Number
- AF.22818 [dup1]
- catalog number
- 22818
- accession number
- 64127
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
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Violin
- Description
- Physical Description
- Wood with personal carvings.
- Specific History
- At 24 years old, Solomon Conn, a son of a hotel keeper in Minamac, Indiana, enlisted as a private in Company B of the 87th Indiana Infantry on July 26, 1862. He purchased this violin in Nashville, Tennessee, on May 1, 1863. Conn carried the violin while serving, although his family admitted that he never learned to play. Written on the back of the instrument are the names of places where the soldiers of the 87th were either on duty or engaging the enemy. More place names are written along the left and right edges of the sides. Among the more well-known battles the 87th took part in were the Battle of Chickamauga in September 1863 and Kennesaw Mountain in June 1864. By the end of the war, the 87th Volunteers had lost 283 men, most of them to disease.
- This object stands as a unique memento of the common soldier during the Civil War.
- user
- Conn, Solomon
- ID Number
- 1988.0716.01
- accession number
- 1988.0716
- catalog number
- 1988.0716.01
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
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"Lay Me Where the Birds Are Singing"
- Description
This sheet music is for the song “Lay Me Where the Birds are Singing,” which was published around 1880 by F. A. Cotharin in New York, New York. Cotharin produced a journal called Musical Album, in which he would publish various musical pieces. The cover of this sheet music features an illustrated portrait of Florence Rice Knox, a popular singer at the time whose image was used to sell this music. Printed on the cover:
Compliments of C. F. Cook & Co.
12 Winter Street, Boston- Location
- Currently not on view
- publishing date
- ca 1880
- publisher
- F. A. Cotharin
- ID Number
- 1979.1154.02
- accession number
- 1979.1154
- catalog number
- 1979.1154.02
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
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“Gypsey Polka”
- Description
- This sheet music for the song “Gypsey Polka” was written and composed by C. F. Hanson, and published by W.A. Evans and Bro. Publishers of Boston, Massachusetts in 1881. The cover features an inset illustration of an old hag-like woman, and an illustration of a teepee in upper right corner.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- publishing date
- 1881
- composer
- Hanson, C. F.
- publisher
- W. A. Evans and Brothers
- ID Number
- 1982.0440.48
- accession number
- 1982.0440
- catalog number
- 1982.0440.48
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
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"Folio, Vol. XIX, No.9"
- Description
- "Folio," Vol. XIX, No. 9 - A Journal of Music, Drama, Art & Literature. September 1880. Light blue paper cover with black ink. Inside white paper pages with black ink.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- publishing date
- 1880
- publisher
- White, Smith, and Company
- ID Number
- 1982.0005.14
- accession number
- 1982.0005.14
- catalog number
- 1982.0005.14
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
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"Folio, Vol. XIX, No. 5"
- Description
- "Folio," Vol. XIX, No. 5 - A Journal of Music, Drama, Art & Literature. May 1880. Made of paper with black ink.
- publishing date
- 1880
- publisher
- White, Smith, and Company
- ID Number
- 1982.0005.17
- accession number
- 1982.0005.17
- catalog number
- 1982.0005.17
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
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“Ehren on the Rhine”
- Description
- This sheet music for the song "Ehren on the Rhine" was arranged by George Edw. Jackson and published by W. A. Evans and Bro. of Boston, Massachusetts in 1884. This song was a classic waltz, telling the story of a soldier going off to war, and telling his love to wait for him and reunite to be together at Ehren on the Rhine.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- publishing date
- 1884
- distributor
- Woolworth and Hasslet
- publisher
- W. A. Evans and Brothers
- ID Number
- 1982.0439.40
- catalog number
- 1982.0439.040
- accession number
- 1982.0439
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
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“Gypsey Polka”
- Description
- This sheet music for the song “Gypsey Polka” was written and composed by C. F. Hanson, and published by W.A. Evans and Bro. Publishers of Boston, Massachusetts in 1881. The cover features an illustration of an old hag-like woman in the lower left and an illustration of a teepee in upper right.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- publishing date
- 1881
- composer
- Hanson, C. F.
- publisher
- Evans and Brothers
- ID Number
- 1982.0439.31
- catalog number
- 1982.0439.031
- accession number
- 1982.0439
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
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Program for I. W. Baird’s Minstrel Show
- Description
- Advance program for I. W. Baird’s Minstrel Show at the New York Opera House (Academy of Music) in 1881.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- publishing date
- 1881
- ID Number
- 1982.0440.22
- accession number
- 1982.0440
- catalog number
- 1982.0440.22
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
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“The Musical Gift”
- Description
- This sheet music for the song “The Musical Gift” was published by Spear and Denhoff of New York, NY in 1881. The cover features a border of flowers that enclose the title with a lyre, trumpet, and violin crossed in the center. This “Musical Gift” seems to have been the sixth volume of a collection of popular music published by Spear and Denhoff.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- publishing date
- 1881
- publisher
- Spear & Dehnhoff
- ID Number
- 1982.0440.49
- accession number
- 1982.0440
- catalog number
- 1982.0440.49
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
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“Secret Love”
- Description
- This sheet music for the song “Secret Love” was arranged by F. Alexander and published by M. M. C. Walker in 1880. “Secret Love” is one of 22 songs by Alexander as part of a collection called “Popular Gems” that were arranged in an easy manner. The cover is plain with black text and framed around the edges. There is a stamp at the top that reads “Winner’s Sample Music, Ten Cents per Copy.”
- Location
- Currently not on view
- publishing date
- 1880
- composer
- Alexander, F.
- publisher
- M. M. C. Walker
- ID Number
- 1982.0440.50
- accession number
- 1982.0440
- catalog number
- 1982.0440.50
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
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8-Keyed Flute
- Description
This flute was made in Germany around 1878 to 1880 and sold by the J. Howard Foote Company in New York and Chicago. It is an 8-keyed flute in D made of grenadilla with German silver ferrules, keys, and embouchure.
John Howard Foote (1833-1896) was a musical instrument dealer with shops in New York City and Chicago. This make and style of flute (#5354), as listed in an 1880 J. Howard Foote catalog, sold for $14.50.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- Date made
- 1878 - 1880
- ID Number
- MI.055629
- accession number
- 11535
- catalog number
- 55629
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
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German 6-Keyed Flute
- Description
- This flute was made by an unknown maker, probably in Germany around 1870 to 1880. It is a 6-keyed flute made of ebony with German silver ferrules and keys.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- Date made
- 1870-1880
- ID Number
- MI.378927
- accession number
- 146566
- catalog number
- 378927
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
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4-Keyed Flute
- Description
This flute was made around 1878 to 1880 and sold by the J. Howard Foote Company in New York and Chicago. It is a 4-keyed flute in D made of boxwood with German silver ferrules and keys.
John Howard Foote (1833-1896) was a musical instrument dealer with shops in New York City and Chicago. This make and style of flute (#5330), as listed in an 1880 J. Howard Foote catalog, sold for $3.30.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- Date made
- 1878 - 1880
- ID Number
- MI.055625
- accession number
- 11535
- catalog number
- 55625
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
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German Accordion
- Description (Brief)
This accordion was made in Germany around 1878 to 1882 and sold by the J. Howard Foote Company in New York and Chicago. It has 3 keys on the bass side, 10 buttons on the treble side, and 1 stop. This accordion has an embossed medallion:
DEM VERDEINSTE
HALTET FRAU MUSICA IN EHRENJohn Howard Foote (1833-1896) was a musical instrument dealer with shops in New York City and Chicago. This instrument was sold as an accordion (#1388).
- Location
- Currently not on view
- Date made
- 1878 - 1882
- ID Number
- MI.055641
- accession number
- 11535
- catalog number
- 55641
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
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“The Mockingbird Quickstep”
- Description
- This sheet music is for the song “The Mockingbird Quickstep” that was arranged for the piano by J.A. Rosenberger. The song was a quickstep march published by George Dunn & Company of Richmond, Virginia in 1864. Interestingly, this song was published in the South during the Civil War, as the cover notes that the song was entered “by Geo. Dunn in the Clerk’s Office of the District Court of the Confederate United States of America.”
- Location
- Currently not on view
- publishing date
- 1864
- arranger
- Rosenberger, J. A.
- publisher
- Geo. Dunn & Co.
- ID Number
- 1983.0365.01
- accession number
- 1983.0365
- catalog number
- 1983.0365.01
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
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“Rock Me to Sleep Mother”
- Description
- This sheet music is for the song “Rock Me to Sleep Mother.” The song’s lyrics were written by Florence Percy (the pen name for Elizabeth Akers Allen) and the music was composed by John H. Hewitt. The sheet music was published by Julian A. Selby of Columbia, South Carolina in 1861. The song expresses a desire to give up the sorrows of life and go back to being a child, being rocked to sleep by mother.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- publishing date
- 1861
- lyricist
- Percy, Florence
- composer
- Hewitt, John H.
- publisher
- Selby, Julian A.
- ID Number
- 1983.0365.03
- accession number
- 1983.0365
- catalog number
- 1983.0365.03
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
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“There's Life in the Old Land Yet”
- Description
- This sheet music is for the song “There's Life in the Old Land Yet.” The lyrics to the song came from a poem by James R. Randall and the music was composed by Edward O. Eaton. The sheet music was published by A.E. Blackmar & Brothers in 1862. The song is dedicated to the Maryland Society, and Randall is well known for composing Maryland’s state song, “Maryland, My Maryland.”
- Location
- Currently not on view
- publishing date
- 1862
- poet
- Randall, James Ryder
- composer
- Eaton, Edward O.
- publisher
- A. E. Blackmar & Bro.
- ID Number
- 1983.0363.01
- accession number
- 1983.0363
- catalog number
- 1983.0363.01
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
-
“Swedish Wedding March”
- Description (Brief)
- This sheet music is for the song “Swedish Wedding March” that was written and composed by the August Soderman. The sheet music appeared as a musical supplement to the weekly newspaper “The Chicago Inter Ocean” on Wednesday, March 29th, 1882. The black and white cover features an illustration of an intricate geometric pattern with an image of a butterfly in the lower left corner.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- 1882
- ID Number
- 1983.0424.063
- accession number
- 1983.0424
- catalog number
- 1983.0424.063
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
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