Natural Resources
The natural resources collections offer centuries of evidence about how Americans have used the bounty of the American continent and coastal waters. Artifacts related to flood control, dam construction, and irrigation illustrate the nation's attempts to manage the natural world. Oil-drilling, iron-mining, and steel-making artifacts show the connection between natural resources and industrial strength.
Forestry is represented by saws, axes, a smokejumper's suit, and many other objects. Hooks, nets, and other gear from New England fisheries of the late 1800s are among the fishing artifacts, as well as more recent acquisitions from the Pacific Northwest and Chesapeake Bay. Whaling artifacts include harpoons, lances, scrimshaw etchings in whalebone, and several paintings of a whaler's work at sea. The modern environmental movement has contributed buttons and other protest artifacts on issues from scenic rivers to biodiversity.
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Miner's Cap Lamp
- Description (Brief)
- This is a copper oil-wick cap lamp made by J&A McDougall of Pittston, Pennsylvania likely in the latter half of the 20th century. The oil-wick cap lamp was first invented in Scotland in 1850 and in use until the 1920’s. The font contained a mix of fat and oil for fuel, and a wick was inserted into the spout. The resulting flame was much brighter and more efficient than the candles it replaced. The hook enabled the lamp to be worn on a cap, or hooked onto any other suitable location.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- 1881
- ID Number
- AG.059073
- catalog number
- 059073
- accession number
- 014851
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
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Scrimshaw Ivory Whale Stamp
- Description
- Carved from the teeth of captured sperm whales, whale stamps were used to record the type of whale and number of barrels of oil they yielded.
- The stamps were inked onto the page of whaleship logbooks or sailors’ journals, with an empty space in the whale’s body for writing in the number of barrels. This example in the form of a sperm whale is decorated with steel pin heads and a turned handle.
- date made
- 1800s
- ID Number
- 1978.0052.06
- accession number
- 1978.0052
- catalog number
- 1978.52.6
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
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Wood and Ivory Parallel Rule
- Description
- Part of the navigator’s tool kit, parallel rules were used to transfer compass points, course lines and other directional information across large charts without change. This large wooden set has a carved ivory whale inlaid into its surface, with a brass tack for the whale’s eye.
- ID Number
- 1978.0052.08
- accession number
- 1978.0052
- catalog number
- 1978.52.31
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
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Miner's Carbide Lamp
- Description (Brief)
- This mining lamp is a “Guy’s Dropper” model made by the Shanklin Manufacturing Company of Springfield, Illinois, first manufactured in 1913. The lamp is named after its inventor, Frank Guy, a miner from Springfield. Frank Guy partnered with George and Edgar Shanklin to produce this lamp, and the lamp saw tremendous success through World War I. The Shanklin Mfg. Co. was sold to the Universal Lamp Company in 1932, who continued to make "Guy's Dropper."
- Location
- Currently not on view
- ID Number
- 1978.2497.02
- accession number
- 1978.2497
- catalog number
- 1978.2497.02
- 78.2497.02
- MHI-MI-1215
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
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Ship's Surgical Kit
- Description (Brief)
- This wooden surgical case with brass fittings has three main compartments, one of which is a tray that lifts out from the lower case. The interior of the case is molded so that each instrument has its own compartment. The entire interior is lined with purple velvet. The exterior of the lid has an oval escutcheon which is marked, "U.S.A./ Hosp. Dept." The set includes 45 instruments, three of which are not original to the set. At least six instruments are missing, including four knives and a bandage scissors.
- During the Civil War the United States Army contracted with several surgical instrument makers, including Herman Hernstein to provide surgical sets for the Union troops.
- As a young boy in Germany Hermann Hernstein was apprenticed to a surgical instrument maker. He came to the United States in 1841 and settled in New York City. Within a few years, he had established his own shop.
- According to Edmonson much of Hernstein’s inventory was imported from Europe.
- Description
- Surgical kits were not required on merchant vessels, but the larger and better-equipped ships often carried them. These were used for everything from pulling teeth to the amputation of limbs, and everything in between. Like the medicine chests, these kits too were often sold with simple pamphlets, with instructions and diagrams on how to use them in emergencies. The captain or first mate most commonly carried out any needed procedures.
- date made
- 1862-1865
- maker
- Hermann Hernstein & Son
- ID Number
- 1977.1103.01
- accession number
- 1977.1103
- catalog number
- 1977.1103.01
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
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Miner’s Safety Lamp
- Description (Brief)
- This safety lamp was manufactured by the Hughes Brothers of Scranton, Pennsylvania in the latter half of the 19th century. This Clanny style safety lamp employs a wire gauze and a glass globe surrounding the wick to protect the flame. Safety lamps were invented in the early 19th century, and are used to this day for gas detection, even as mine lighting has been replaced by electric lights.
- ID Number
- AG.MHI-MN-8763B
- catalog number
- MHI-MN-8763B
- accession number
- 265669
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
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Miner’s Safety Lamp
- Description (Brief)
- This safety lamp was manufactured by the Hughes Brothers of Scranton, Pennsylvania in the latter half of the 19th century. This Davy-style safety lamp employs a wire gauze that surrounds the flame. The flame is unable to pass through the holes in the gauze, preventing any methane in the air from igniting.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- ID Number
- AG.MHI-MN-9761A
- accession number
- 304880
- catalog number
- MHI-MN-9761A
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
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Dory Scoop, 1880s
- Description
- Scoops and bailers are essential tools for fishermen who work out of small boats. Water inevitably finds its way into vessels and bailing becomes a frequent but necessary chore. This scoop, carved out of one piece of wood, was used prior to 1883 by cod fishermen from Gloucester, Massachusetts, to bail out their dories.
- Small, flat-bottomed dories were not used in the American commercial cod fishery until after 1850, when trawl-line fishing expanded. Dories were ideal for the purpose: they could be nested together on the deck of the larger, fishing schooner until needed. On the water, they were light and easy to handle, as well as stable. When fishing long trawl lines, fishermen would leave the relative comforts of the schooners to work in pairs as dorymates. Because they were away from the schooners for many hours, the fishermen carried provisions and gear in the dories, including water, food, oars, a mast and sail, anchors, buoys and markers, several trawl tubs, pen boards for holding the fish, several scoops and bailers, fog horns, a compass, and more.
- This dory scoop was displayed at the 1883 International Fisheries Exhibition in London. The United States’ portion of the display was organized by the U.S. Fish Commission and included a wealth of gear, models, photographs, fishery products, and everyday objects used by American fishermen. The international exhibition was on view between May 12 and November 1, during which a daily average of 18,545 people toured the buildings and grounds. When the exhibition closed, the collections that represented the United States were sent to the Smithsonian Institution and a catalog was published: Descriptive Catalogues of the Collections Sent from the United States to the International Fisheries Exhibition, London, 1883, Constituting A Report Upon the American Section. Prepared under the direction of G. Brown Goode, U.S. Commissioner, and a staff of associates. Washington: Government Printing Office, 1884.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- ID Number
- AG.025222
- catalog number
- 025222
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
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Oil-Wick Miner’s Lamp Patent Model
- Description (Brief)
- This oil-wick cap lamp is a patent model constructed by William C. Winfield of Hubbard, Ohio that received patent number 115,143 on May 23, 1871. Winfield’s claim in the patent filing is a miner's lamp with “a new article of manufacture, viz., a miner's lamp, provided with a screw-cap constructed, arranged, and operating with relation to the body of the lamp.”
- Location
- Currently not on view
- patent date
- 1871-05-23
- patentee
- Winfield, William C.
- ID Number
- AG.MHI-MN-9737
- accession number
- 088881
- catalog number
- MHI-MN-9737
- patent number
- 115143
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
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Oil-Wick Miner’s Lamp Patent Model
- Description (Brief)
- This oil-wick lamp is a patent model constructed by William Seybold of McKeesport, Pennsylvania that received patent number 90,963 on June 8, 1869. Seybold claimed as his invention “extending the wick-tube upwards, within the lamp-chamber, nearly to the top of the lamp” and “extending the exterior portion of the wick-tube above the top of the lamp” in order to keep lighter oils from making their way up a normal spout due to the motions of a miner’s head.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- patentee
- Seybold, William
- ID Number
- AG.MHI-MN-9745
- accession number
- 088881
- catalog number
- MHI-MN-9745
- patent number
- 90963
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
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Miner’s Safety Lamp
- Description (Brief)
- The American Safety Lamp & Mine Supply Company hired M.D. Cremer of England to produce this lamp around 1913. M.D. Cremer, a former director of the Wolf Safety Lamp Company in England started the Cremer Lamp and Engineering Company in 1913 to produce lamps by contract from other firms. This safety lamp features a glass enclosure, double wire gauze on the top-interior, and a metal bonnet exterior to protect the flame.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- ID Number
- AG.MHI-MN-9768
- catalog number
- MHI-MN-9768
- accession number
- 304880
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
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Miner’s Safety Lamp
- Description (Brief)
- This is a safety lamp manufactured by the Wolf Safety Lamp Company of America in the early 20th century. This lamp is one of the popular and effective Wolf Company designs, employing a glass enclosure, wire gauze in the top-interior, and a metal bonnet exterior to protect the flame. The "permissible" engraved on the lamp means the lamp was approved by the U.S. Bureau of Mines
- Location
- Currently not on view
- ID Number
- AG.MHI-MT-002676
- catalog number
- MHI-MT-002676
- accession number
- 115670
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
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Miner's Carbide Lamp
- Description (Brief)
- This mining lamp is a “Guy’s Dropper” model made by the Shanklin Manufacturing Company of Springfield, Illinois, first manufactured in 1913. The lamp is named after its inventor, Frank Guy, a miner from Springfield. Frank Guy partnered with George and Edgar Shanklin to produce this lamp, and the lamp saw tremendous success through World War I. The Shanklin Mfg. Co. was sold to the Universal Lamp Company in 1932, who continued to make "Guy's Dropper."
- Location
- Currently not on view
- ID Number
- AG.MHI-MI-1115.2
- accession number
- 1978.0288
- catalog number
- MHI-MI-1115.2
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
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Miner's Safety lamp
- Description (Brief)
- This is a carbide mining lamp manufactured by the Friemann and Wolf Company, of Zwickau, Germany around 1910. The Friemann and Wolf Company was a prominent lamp manufacturer that exported lamps to the U.S. until World War I, when buying German items became unpopular. Worn on a miner's cap, the reflector behind the flame cast a wide range of light, improving the miner’s peripheral vision.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- ID Number
- AG.MHI-MN-7761
- catalog number
- MHI-MN-7761
- accession number
- 235037
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
-
Miner's Electric Cap Lamp
- Description (Brief)
- First manufactured in 1912, the Edison Safety Mining Lamp was powered by a battery enclosed in a self-locking steel case worn on the miner’s belt. A flexible cord, protected by a steel cover at both ends, connected the battery to the cap lamp. The battery could power the six-candlepower lamp for 12 hours and was recharged at the end of a miner’s shift.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- ID Number
- AG.MHI-MN-7947
- accession number
- 240639
- catalog number
- MHI-MN-7947
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
-
Miner's Carbide Lamp
- Description (Brief)
- This lamp is made by the Dewar Manufacturing Co. of Brooklyn, New York, who produced carbide mining lamps from around 1914 until it was bought by the Wolf Safety Lamp Co. in the late 1930’s. Dewar was known for its “I-T-P” (It’s Trouble Proof), Sun Ray, and Dew-R-Lite lamp brands. This particular lamp is a Dew-R-Lite, probably manufactured in the late 1920's.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- ID Number
- AG.MHI-MN-8941A
- catalog number
- MHI-MN-8941A
- accession number
- 240639
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
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Miner’s Cap
- Description (Brief)
- This canvas miner’s cap was manufactured by Thomas Lloyd & Sons of Houtzdale, Pennsylvania. The cap has a leather brim with a leather and metal lamp bracket. The bracket likely held either a carbide lamp or an oil-wick cap lamp. Before head protection became mandatory in industrial workplaces, miner’s caps served as a way to mount their lamps.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- ID Number
- AG.MHI-MN-9576B
- catalog number
- MHI-MN-9576B
- accession number
- 282791
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
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Whalebone Thimble Eye
- Description
- This rope-strapped thimble carved from whalebone would have had a light rope through the eye for rigging, perhaps on a whaleboat.
- These miniature items also served as children’s toys or curiosities back home. Toys in the form of miniature working ship parts were easy and quick for sailors to carve, and they did not require much skill to make. They also served as potent reminders of where and what the men were doing during their long absences from their friends and families.
- date made
- 1800s
- ID Number
- AG.025801
- catalog number
- 025801
- accession number
- 2009.0182
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
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Miner's Safety Lamp
- Description (Brief)
- This lamp's manufacturer is unknown, but based on its design it was most likely made in the late 19th century. The safety mining lamp was a tremendous step forward in preventing mining disasters. Encasing the flame in glass or metal gauze prevented combustible mine gases (called firedamp) from exploding, as would happen with the open flames of carbide or oil-wick lamps.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- ID Number
- AG.MHI-MN-7754
- catalog number
- MHI-MN-7754
- accession number
- 235034
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
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Miner's Safety Lamp
- Description (Brief)
- This safety lamp was manufactured by the Wolf Safety Lamp Company of America, from Brooklyn, New York in the late 19th century. This lamp is one of the most popular and effective Wolf Company designs, employing a glass enclosure, wire gauze on the top-interior, and a metal bonnet exterior. Lamps such as this were often used to gauge methane levels in mines, and were designed with upper air intakes so air on the mine’s ceiling could be tested.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- ID Number
- AG.MHI-MN-7769
- catalog number
- MHI-MN-7769
- accession number
- 235037
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
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- Ecology 421
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- Mining Helmets 36
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- Contemporary United States 19
- Clothing and dress 17
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- lamp, safety, mining 125
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- Models (representations) 23
- Patents 21
- lamp, carbide, cap, mining 17
- lamp, oil, cap, miner's 15
- Swrimshaws 13
- helmet, mining 11
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- lamp, cap, mining 7
- lamp, hand, oil wick type, miner's 6
- lamp, mining 5
- Harpoons 4
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- hat, miner's 4
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- Industry & Manufacturing 421
- Work 420
- Work and Industry: Mining 355
- Mining Lamps 301
- National Museum of American History 55
- On the Water 53
- Work and Industry: Maritime 39
- Mining Helmets 36
- On the Water exhibit 35
- Cultures & Communities 34
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