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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Corset and Whalebone Scrimshaw Busk
- Location
- Currently not on view
- Date made
- 1825 - 1835
- fashion
- 19th century
- ID Number
- CS.287645.001
- catalog number
- 287645.001
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
-
Whale Oil Lamp
- Description
- From a simple hanging lantern suitable for use in a barn to an elegant blown glass table lamp, whale oil illuminated the homes and businesses of America from the 18th century well past the time of the discovery of petroleum in Pennsylvania in 1859.
- Kerosene and other petroleum products largely replaced whale oil for illumination by the end of the century. However, the use of other whale products for various purposes lasted well into the 20th century.
- date made
- mid 1800s
- ID Number
- DL.377184
- catalog number
- 377184
- accession number
- 136485
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
-
Gloves Plastic Grip
- Location
- Currently not on view
- ID Number
- 2007.0178.22
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
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Gloves Wool
- Location
- Currently not on view
- ID Number
- 2007.0178.26
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
-
Employee Handbook
- Location
- Currently not on view
- Date made
- April 2007
- maker
- Alaska Ocean Seafood
- ID Number
- 2007.0178.28
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
-
Sweatpants (large)
- maker
- Jerzees
- ID Number
- 2007.0178.11
- catalog number
- 2007.0178.11
- accession number
- 2007.0178
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
-
Safety Manual
- Location
- Currently not on view
- Date made
- April 2007
- maker
- Alaska Ocean Seafood
- ID Number
- 2007.0178.27
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
-
Ball Cap (Connie's)
- Location
- Currently not on view
- maker
- LIDS
- ID Number
- 2007.0178.14
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
-
Ivory and Bone Yarn Swift
- Description
- Swifts, or yarn-winders, were used in the home in place of an extra pair of hands. They held skeins of yarn or thread while it was being wound onto spools or rewound into measured lengths. This is a particularly large example, which fastened to the edge of a table with the clamp on the bottom.
- date made
- 19th century
- maker
- unknown
- ID Number
- TE.T03311.000
- catalog number
- T03311.000
- accession number
- 59652
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
-
Whale Oil Lamp
- Description
- From a simple hanging lantern suitable for use in a barn to an elegant blown glass table lamp, whale oil illuminated the homes and businesses of America from the 18th century well past the time of the discovery of petroleum in Pennsylvania in 1859.
- Kerosene and other petroleum products largely replaced whale oil for illumination by the end of the century. However, the use of other whale products for various purposes lasted well into the 20th century.
- date made
- mid 1800s
- whale oil lamps used
- 18th cenutry
- discovery of petroleum
- 1859
- ID Number
- DL.316030
- catalog number
- 316030
- accession number
- 66046
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
-
Gloves Cotton
- Location
- Currently not on view
- ID Number
- 2007.0178.23
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
-
Oil Painting or Overpainted Print, Capturing a Sperm Whale
- Description
- The most dangerous part of a dangerous job was working in the actual whaleboat, first chasing and then capturing and killing the prey.
- This picture is a copy or an overpainted example of a famous print first issued in 1835, believed to be the first indigenous American whaling print. It is derived from a sketch by whaleman Cornelius Hulsart, who lost an arm on the whaler Superior and subsequently became an artist.
- The original print was one of a pair produced to raise money for Hulsart, and it was dedicated to Superior's owners N. & W.W. Billings of New London, Connecticut. It is a fairly accurate portrayal of the danger in approaching and killing a wounded, enraged whale. As shown by the red, bloody whale spout, the whalers have struck the prey’s lungs or arteries, but the animal was still strong enough to break a boat in half and flip a crewman into the water.
- date or original painting
- 1835
- whaleman and artist
- Hulsart, Cornelius
- owner of the ship Superior
- N & W. W. Billings
- ID Number
- DL.65.0876
- catalog number
- 65.0876
- accession number
- 256396
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
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Gloves Marigolds
- Location
- Currently not on view
- ID Number
- 2007.0178.24
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
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Gloves Fleece
- Location
- Currently not on view
- ID Number
- 2007.0178.25
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
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Red Hard Hat
- Location
- Currently not on view
- used
- Torres, Juan
- maker
- WGM Safety Corp
- ID Number
- 2007.0178.19
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
-
Miner’s Cap Lamp
- Description (Brief)
- This oil-wick cap lamp was made by an unknown maker during the second half of the 19th 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.
- ID Number
- AG.MHI-MN-9773B
- accession number
- 304880
- catalog number
- MHI-MN-9773B
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
-
Sperm Whale Tooth Watch Stand
- Description
- Scrimshaw known to have been made specifically for men is comparatively rare. This unfinished tooth was hollowed out at the back to carry a gentleman’s pocket watch inside, perhaps set on a wardrobe, a bureau or a dressing table overnight.
- Patriotic imagery was very popular on American scrimshaw. At the top is a large eagle in flight clutching arrows and an olive branch; the hole for the watch is framed by a simple scalloped line. The space at the bottom was probably reserved for the owner’s initials or possibly a date, and the two holes were likely drilled for ivory buttons. The piece was unfinished when it was donated in 1875 by J. H. Clark of Newport, R.I.
- date made
- 19th century
- Associated Date
- collected
- ID Number
- DL.024905
- catalog number
- 024905
- accession number
- 4331
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
-
Miner's Safety Lamp
- Description (Brief)
- While safety lamps were phased out for light-producing purposes in the mid-20th century, they still play a role in gas detection. This Pieler lamp is made expressly for gas detection and measurement. The flame would have been lowered to a small height. In the presence of methane, a blue "cap" would appear on the flame, with the height of the flame corresponding to the amount of methane in the air, easily measured by the scale built into the lamp
- Location
- Currently not on view
- ID Number
- AG.MHI-MN-7867
- catalog number
- MHI-MN-7867
- accession number
- 240639
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
-
Alaska Ocean Coveralls
- Description
- Fish processors, laboratory staff, inspectors, supervisors, and others who work in the factory aboard the Alaska Ocean wear royal blue coveralls like these when on duty. These polyester coveralls are worn over other clothing to maintain standards of hygiene in the factory. Some processors change their coveralls several times during their daily 12-hour shift, which can extend to kicker shifts of an additional three hours. Because clean coveralls are always in demand, the factory’s laundry crew keeps the industrial washers and dryers running continuously. The coveralls, with the words Alaska Ocean emblazoned across the back, zip up the front and are typically worn tucked into boots.
- date made
- 2006
- Associated Date
- 2007
- used
- McFarland, Thelma
- maker
- Fristads
- ID Number
- 2007.0178.20
- catalog number
- 2007.0178.20
- accession number
- 2007.0178
- 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-MN-7934
- accession number
- 240639
- catalog number
- MHI-MN-7934
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
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