RevolutionCrossroads/si_us_revolutionary_era_collections huggingface dataset:
Octant
Collection: National Museum of American History
Object type: octant
date made: ca 1800
maker: Norie
place made: United Kingdom: England, London
Physical Description: ebony (overall material)
brass (overall material)
Measurements: overall: 12 in x 10 in x 3 1/2 in; 30.48 cm x 25.4 cm x 8.89 cm
Credit line: Dorothy Bateman Beck
Topics: Navigation
Sailing Ships
Description: Octant with an ebony frame, reinforced brass index arm, and ivory name plate. The ivory scale is graduated every 20 minutes from -3° to +100° and read by vernier with tangent screw to single minutes of arc. There is also a back sight and a back horizon glass that could be used to measure angles greater than 90°. The radius is about 12 inches. An inscription reads "NORIE LONDON". John William Norie established a Navigation Warehouse in London in 1799. The firm traded as Norie & Co. in the years 1816-1839.
Ref: Gloria Clifton, <i>Directory of British Scientific Instrument Makers 1550-1851</i> (London, 1895), p. 201.
Lenoir Reflecting Circle
Collection: National Museum of American History
Object type: reflecting circle
date made: 1790s
maker: Lenoir, Etienne
place made: France: Île-de-France, Paris
Measurements: overall: 10 1/2 in; 26.67 cm
overall in case: 3 in x 12 3/4 in x 12 1/2 in; 7.62 cm x 32.385 cm x 31.75 cm
Credit line: Columbia University
Topics: Navigation
Description: The Chevalier de Borda, in Paris, published a description of his new reflecting circle in 1787. This example belonged to Columbia College (now University) in New York, and probably dates from the 1790s. It has a silvered scale graduated every 20 minutes and read by two verniers with tangent screws and magnifiers to single minutes. The "Lenoir A Paris no 10" inscription is that of Étienne Lenoir (1744-1832), the French craftsman who made Borda’s first instrument of this sort.
Ref: A. J. Turner, <i>From Pleasure and Profit to Science and Security. Étienne Lenoir and the transformation of precision instrument-making in France, 1760-1830</i> (Cambridge: Whipple Museum of the History of Science, 1989).
The Spectator, New York, Wednesday, April 9, 1800
Collection: National Museum of American History
Object type: Newspaper
Newspaper; Letterpress
Date made: 1800
April 09, 1800
place made: United States: New York, New York City
Measurements: average spatial: 54 cm x 34 cm; 21 1/4 in x 13 3/8 in
1 Dollar, United States, 1804 (Class III)
Collection: National Museum of American History
Object type: coin
date made: 1804
issuing authority: United States Mint
mint: U.S. Mint, Philadelphia
obverse designer: Scot, Robert
reverse designer: Scot, Robert
obverse engraver: Eckstein, John
reverse engraver: Eckstein, John
place made: United States
Physical Description: silver (overall metal)
0 (overall die axis)
0 (overall die axis measurement)
struck (overall production method)
Measurements: overall: .3 cm x 3.94 cm; 1/8 in x 1 9/16 in
Credit line: Willis H. du Pont
Publisher: Zoomable Image and Details, Glossary of Coins and Currency Terms, http://americanhistory.si.edu/coins/glossary.cfm
Topics: Money
Coins
Numismatics
Description: Employees at the Mint continued to strike 1804 dollars illegally through the late 1870s. It is thought that around half a dozen were created, some for sale, perhaps in European auctions, to give them an air of plausibility; others for trade, to acquire rare coins that the Mint Cabinet lacked. Six of these coins, called "class three" dollars, to distinguish them from the 1834 "class two" dollars, have been traced.
The Smithsonian's class three 1804 dollar has a checkered history. It was initially the property of Mint Director H. R. Linderman and was probably struck to his order. However, when it appeared in his estate, his widow came up with the story that he bought it on time payments from a coin dealer.
Eventually this coin was purchased by Willis DuPont. It was stolen in the 1967 armed robbery of the DuPont Collection and retrieved early in 1982. It came to the Smithsonian Institution in 1994. It exhibits the weak strike on the central devices shared by the other members of class three.
medal
Collection: National Museum of American History
Object type: Medal
Date made: 1783
editor: United States Mint
issuing authority: United States Mint
place made: United States
place of issue: United States
Physical Description: struck (overall production method)
bronze (overall metal)
circular (overall shape)
Measurements: overall: 40.4 mm; x 1 9/16 in
medal
Collection: National Museum of American History
Object type: Medal
Date made: 1784
editor: United States Mint
issuing authority: United States Mint
place made: United States
place of issue: United States
Physical Description: struck (overall production method)
bronze (overall metal)
circular (overall shape)
Measurements: overall: 46.1 mm; x 1 13/16 in
Jacobus Scout Pennsylvania / Kentucky Flintlock Rifle
Collection: National Museum of American History
Object type: rifle, flintlock
Rifle
Rifle; Firearms; Percussion Fire; .52
Date made: 1770 - 1790
associated dates: 1770 / 1770, 1790 / 1790
place made: United States: Pennsylvania, Davisville
associated place: United States: Virginia
Physical Description: wood (overall material)
metal (overall material)
Measurements: overall length: 149.6 cm; x 58 7/8 in
barrel length: 111 cm; x 43 11/16 in
overall: 59 1/2 in x 2 3/4 in; 151.13 cm x 6.985 cm
Topics: American Revolution (1775-1783)
Military
Cavalry Saber
Collection: National Museum of American History
Object type: Saber
Saber; Edged Weapons
Date made: 1775 - 1780
place made: United States
used: United States
Physical Description: metal (overall material)
wood (overall material)
Measurements: overall: 4 1/2 in x 38 1/2 in x 3 1/2 in; 11.43 cm x 97.79 cm x 8.89 cm
blade length: 82.9 cm; x 32 5/8 in
Topics: Revolution and the New Nation
American Revolution (1775-1783)
Military
Description: Physical Description
Forged steel.
General History
American-made curved blade cavalry saber. Curved blade sabers were generally used as a slashing and hacking weapon.
Morse Family Portrait
Collection: National Museum of American History
Object type: Portrait
watercolor
date painted: 1810
artist: Morse, Samuel Finley Breese
Morse, Samuel Finley Breese
Physical Description: paper (overall material)
Measurements: in frame: 23 1/4 in x 19 1/8 in; x 59.055 cm x 48.641 cm
Topics: Government
Social reformers
Family
Portraits
Politics
Lincoln's Emanicipation
Collection: National Museum of American History
Object type: Postcard
date made: 1809
Measurements: overall: 5 1/2 in x 3 1/2 in; 13.97 cm x 8.89 cm
Credit line: The Ralph E Becker Collection of Political Americana
Boxlock Percussion Screwbarrel Pistol
Collection: National Museum of American History
Object type: Pistol
pistol, percussion
Pistol; Firearms; Percussion Lock; .54
Date made: 1798 - 1804
maker: John Brown
place made: United Kingdom: England, London
Physical Description: metal (overall material)
Measurements: overall length: 16.2 cm; x 6 3/8 in
barrel length: 6.2 cm; x 2 7/16 in
overall: 6 1/2 in x 3 3/4 in x 7/8 in; 16.51 cm x 9.525 cm x 2.2225 cm
Screwbarrel Boxlock Percussion Pistol
Collection: National Museum of American History
Object type: Pistol
pistol, percussion
Pistol; Firearms; Percussion Lock; .54
Date made: 1798 - 1804
maker: John Brown
place made: United Kingdom: England, London
Physical Description: metal (overall material)
Measurements: overall length: 16.2 cm; x 6 3/8 in
barrel length: 6.2 cm; x 2 7/16 in
overall: 6 1/2 in x 3 3/4 in x 3/4 in; 16.51 cm x 9.525 cm x 1.905 cm
Microscope
Collection: National Museum of American History
Object type: microscope
date made: ca 1800
place made: Germany: Bavaria, Nuremberg
Physical Description: wood (overall material)
glass (overall material)
paper (overall material)
horn (overall material)
brown (overall color)
green (overall color)
black (overall color)
Measurements: average spatial: 32.4 cm x 12 cm; 12 3/4 in x 4 3/4 in
Topics: Scientific apparatus and instruments
Science
Mathematics
Microscopes
Description: This is a compound monocular with cardboard tubes, the outer one covered with fish skin. The fittings, three legs, stage, base and support for sub-stage mirror are wood. The eyepiece is horn. A Bonnani spring holds the slides in place. The “JFF” inscription on the bottom of the base refers to an apparently prolific craftsman, probably from Nuremberg.
cap
Collection: National Museum of American History
Object type: Collar
cap
date made: 18th century
place made: Italy
Physical Description: fabric (overall material)
Measurements: overall: 7 in x 7 5/32 in; 17.78 cm x 18.1864 cm
Credit line: Gift of Daughters of Alice Pike Barney
Topics: Religion
cope
Collection: National Museum of American History
Object type: cope
date made: 18th century
place made: Italy
Physical Description: silk (overall material)
thread, metallic (overall material)
Measurements: overall: 47 in x 51 1/2 in; 119.38 cm x 130.81 cm
Credit line: Gift of Daughters of Alice Pike Barney
Topics: Religion
pitcher
Collection: National Museum of American History
Object type: Pitcher
date made: 1775
place made: Switzerland
Physical Description: pewter (overall material)
Measurements: overall: 12 3/4 in; 32.385 cm
Credit line: Bequest of Elizabeth S. Stevens
lamp, hanging
Collection: National Museum of American History
Object type: Lamp, Hanging
date made: 18th century
place made: Italy
Physical Description: brass (overall material)
Measurements: overall: 16 in x 12 1/2 in; 40.64 cm x 31.75 cm
Credit line: Bequest of Elizabeth S. Stevens
box
Collection: National Museum of American History
Object type: Box
date made: 1782
place made: Sweden
Physical Description: wood (overall material)
paint (overall material)
root stems (overall material)
Measurements: overall: 3 in x 3 1/2 in; 7.62 cm x 8.89 cm
Credit line: Gift of Mrs. William Duncan McKim
cup
Collection: National Museum of American History
Object type: Cup
date made: 1804
place made: Sweden
Physical Description: wood (overall material)
Measurements: overall: 3 3/4 in x 4 1/2 in; 9.525 cm x 11.43 cm
Credit line: Gift of Mrs. William Duncan McKim
box
Collection: National Museum of American History
Object type: Box
date made: 1786
place made: Sweden
Physical Description: wood (overall material)
paint (overall material)
Measurements: overall: 12 1/2 in x 10 in; 31.75 cm x 25.4 cm
Credit line: Gift of Mrs. William Duncan McKim
Bride's Box
Collection: National Museum of American History
Object type: box
date made: 18th century
place made: United States: Pennsylvania
Physical Description: yellow (overall color)
wood, pine (overall material)
paint (overall material)
orange (overall color)
Measurements: overall: 19 1/4 in x 11 1/4 in; 48.895 cm x 28.575 cm
Credit line: Eleanor and Mabel Van Alstyne American Folk Art Collection
Topics: Art
In Pursuit of Life, Liberty, and Happiness
Marriage
Description: This example of an 18th century <i>spanschleteln </i>, (roughly translated from the German as “shaved wood box,)” was given to the National Museum of American History in 1965 by Eleanor and Mabel Van Alstyne, collectors of American folk art. At the time of the donation the box was said to be a “bride’s box” made in Pennsylvania. Bride’s boxes were popular wedding gifts in Germany and Austria during the 1700s. Made of thin strips of planed wood and featuring brightly painted festive iconography such as flowers, pastoral scenes and depictions of brides and grooms, the boxes were intended to be used by the newlywed to store mementos from their nuptial.
Although home to a large population of German immigrants, recent scholarship questions if bride’s boxes were produced in Pennsylvania during the 18th century, making it possible that this example was imported from Europe. Such uncertainty is common in the field of folk art, a genre loosely interpreted as utilitarian objects created by local artisans and craftspeople. At the time of their use, such works commonly fell beneath the attention of scholars, critics and connoisseurs, leaving their histories undocumented and unremembered. It was not until the advent of industrialization and mass-production in the mid-19th century that folk art of became understood as a fundamental aspect of American heritage and culture.
bell, cow
Collection: National Museum of American History
Object type: Bell, Cow
date made: 18th century
place made: Italy
used: Italy: Lombardy, Como, Lago di
Physical Description: brass (overall material)
Measurements: overall: 4 1/2 in x 1 1/2 in x 5 in; 11.43 cm x 3.81 cm x 12.7 cm
Credit line: Gift of Lispenard Seabury Crocker
Box, Lacquered
Collection: National Museum of American History
Object type: Box
Date made: 18th century
Credit line: Gift of Major Harry S. Bryan
bell, cow
Collection: National Museum of American History
Object type: Bell, Cow
date made: 18th century
place made: Switzerland
Physical Description: brass (overall material)
Measurements: overall: 9 1/2 in x 9 1/2 in; 24.13 cm x 24.13 cm
mouth: 6 in x 3 1/2 in; 15.24 cm x 8.89 cm
Credit line: Gift of Lispenard Seabury Crocker
bell, cow
Collection: National Museum of American History
Object type: Bell, Cow
date made: 18th century
place made: Switzerland
Physical Description: brass (overall material)
Measurements: overall: 8 1/4 in x 6 in x 5 in; 20.955 cm x 15.24 cm x 12.7 cm
Credit line: Gift of Lispenard Seabury Crocker
bells, goat, pair of
Collection: National Museum of American History
Object type: Bells, Goat, Pair of
date made: 18th century
place made: Switzerland
Measurements: one bell: 6 1/2 in x 3 1/2 in; 16.51 cm x 8.89 cm
other bell: 5 in x 5 in x 3 1/2 in; 12.7 cm x 12.7 cm x 8.89 cm
Credit line: Gift of Lispenard Seabury Crocker
trivet
Collection: National Museum of American History
Object type: Trivet
date made: 18th century
place made: Iberian Peninsula
Physical Description: iron (overall material)
Measurements: overall: 6 1/4 in x 20 in; 15.875 cm x 50.8 cm
mangle board
Collection: National Museum of American History
Object type: Mangle Board
date made: 1800
place made: Sweden
Measurements: overall: 5 in x 26 1/2 in x 5 1/2 in; 12.7 cm x 67.31 cm x 13.97 cm
Credit line: Gift of Mrs. William Duncan McKim
mangle board
Collection: National Museum of American History
Object type: Mangle Board
Date made: 1781
Measurements: overall: 8.5 cm x 63.6 cm x 16.4 cm; 3 3/8 in x 25 1/16 in x 6 7/16 in
Credit line: Bequest from Mrs. Edith Koon Carr.
mangle board
Collection: National Museum of American History
Object type: Mangle Board
Date made: 1790
Associated Name: Carr, Edith Koon
Measurements: overall: 7.5 cm x 60 cm x 14.7 cm; 2 15/16 in x 23 5/8 in x 5 13/16 in
mangle board
Collection: National Museum of American History
Object type: Mangle Board
Date made: 1793
Associated Name: Carr, Edith Koon
Stoneware jug
Collection: National Museum of American History
Object type: jug
date made: 1791-1820
maker: Remmey III, John
place made: United States: New York, Manhattan Island
Physical Description: ceramic (overall material)
stoneware (overall material)
thrown (overall production method/technique)
incised (overall production method/technique)
Measurements: average spatial: 15 1/2 in x 11 in; 39.37 cm x 27.94 cm
Credit line: Lois G. Remmey
Topics: Manufacturing industries
Industrialization
New York Stoneware
Furnishings
Food
Description: The salt-glazed stoneware tradition in America was brought to this country by immigrants from Central Europe. Potters in the New World used decorating techniques developed in Germany and other European countries, such as pictorial incising and cobalt painting, as seen the incised bird on this jug made by John Remmey III.
J.S.& C. Sword
Collection: National Museum of American History
Object type: Sword
sword
Sword; Edged Weapons
Date made: 1790 - 1830
place made: United States
Physical Description: metal, steel (overall material)
metal, brass (overall material)
ivory (overall material)
silver (overall material)
Measurements: overall length: 92 cm; 36 7/32 in
blade length: 78.2 cm; 30 25/32 in
overall, sword: 7/8 in x 4 7/8 in x 36 1/8 in; 2.2225 cm x 12.3825 cm x 91.7575 cm
Burmese Chess Set
Collection: National Museum of American History
Object type: Chess Set
date made: ca 1780
maker: Wakyosai
Physical Description: ivory (overall material)
Credit line: Gift of Paul Fasal, M.D.
Topics: Games
Madras Chess Set
Collection: National Museum of American History
Object type: Chess Set
date made: ca 1780
Physical Description: ivory (overall material)
laquer (overall material)
gilt (overall material)
Credit line: Gift of Paul Fasal, M.D.
Spanish "Pulpit" Chess Set
Collection: National Museum of American History
Object type: Chess Set
date made: ca 1800
Physical Description: ivory (overall material)
Credit line: Gift of Paul Fasal, M.D.
Austrian Chess Set
Collection: National Museum of American History
Object type: Chess Set
date made: ca 1780
maker: Masayuki
Physical Description: bone (overall material)
Credit line: Gift of Paul Fasal, M.D.
French Chess Set
Collection: National Museum of American History
Object type: Chess Set
date made: ca 1800
Physical Description: wood (overall material)
ivory (overall material)
Credit line: Gift of Paul Fasal, M.D.
1 Dollar
Collection: National Museum of American History
Object type: Paper Money
note
Date made: 1783
issuing authority: Continental Congress
place made: United States: Pennsylvania, Philadelphia
place of issue: United States: Pennsylvania, Philadelphia
Physical Description: paper (overall materials)
engraved (overall printing method)
black (face color)
Measurements: overall:;
Credit line: Anonymous
Topics: NNC Colonial Currency
3 Shillings and 9 Pence, Georgia, 1777
Collection: National Museum of American History
Object type: paper money
Bank Note
note
Bank Note; 1777 06 08
date made: 1777
date on object: 1777-06-08
place made: United States: Georgia
place of issue: United States: Georgia
associated place: United States: Georgia
United States
Physical Description: paper (overall materials)
typeset (overall printing method)
black, signatures-brown (face color)
Measurements: overall: 6.4 cm x 8.3 cm x .01 cm; 2 17/32 in x 3 9/32 in x in
Credit line: Chase Manhattan Bank
Topics: NNC Colonial Currency
4 Dollars, Georgia, 1776
Collection: National Museum of American History
Object type: paper money
note
Date made: 1776
1776
place made: United States: Georgia
place of issue: United States: Georgia
Physical Description: paper (overall materials)
typeset (overall printing method)
black & red printing, blue seal, brown signatures (face color)
Measurements: overall: 7.3 cm x 11.4 cm x .01 cm; 2 7/8 in x 4 1/2 in x in
Credit line: Mrs. E. Reekie
Topics: NNC Colonial Currency
8 Dollars, Georgia, 1777
Collection: National Museum of American History
Object type: paper money
note
date made: 1777
date on object: 1777-09-10
place made: United States: Georgia
place of issue: United States: Georgia
Physical Description: paper (overall materials)
typeset (overall printing method)
black, red, blue, brown signatures. (face color)
Measurements: overall: 8.4 cm x 9 cm x .01 cm; 3 5/16 in x 3 17/32 in x in
Credit line: Chase Manhattan
Topics: NNC Colonial Currency
2 Dollars, Georgia, 1776
Collection: National Museum of American History
Object type: paper money
note
Date made: 1776
1776
place made: United States: Georgia
place of issue: United States: Georgia
Physical Description: paper (overall materials)
typeset (overall printing method)
black, red, light blue (face color)
Measurements: overall: 8.2 cm x 10.3 cm x .01 cm; 3 7/32 in x 4 1/16 in x in
Credit line: James D. Martin
Topics: NNC Colonial Currency
3 Dollars, Georgia, 1777
Collection: National Museum of American History
Object type: paper money
note
date made: 1777
date on object: 1777-09-10
place made: United States: Georgia
place of issue: United States: Georgia
Physical Description: paper (overall materials)
typeset (overall printing method)
black, red, signatures-brown (face color)
Measurements: overall: 7.4 cm x 9.1 cm x .01 cm; 2 29/32 in x 3 19/32 in x in
Credit line: R. M. Smythe & Company, Inc. (through Douglas B. Ball and John E. Herzog)
Topics: NNC Colonial Currency
20 Dollars, Georgia, 1778
Collection: National Museum of American History
Object type: note
date made: 1778
date on object: 1778-05-04
maker: Lancaster, W.
place made: United States: Georgia, Savannah
place of issue: United States: Georgia, Savannah
Physical Description: paper (overall materials)
typeset (overall printing method)
black, red, blue, brown signatures (face color)
black and red brown (back color)
Measurements: overall: 9.4 cm x 17.1 cm x .01 cm; 3 11/16 in x 6 23/32 in x in
Topics: NNC Colonial Currency
40 Dollars, Georgia, 1778
Collection: National Museum of American History
Object type: paper money
note
date made: 1778
date on object: 1778-05-04
maker: Lancaster, W.
place made: United States: Georgia, Savannah
place of issue: United States: Georgia, Savannah
Physical Description: paper (overall materials)
typeset & eng. (overall printing method)
black, red, pale blue, brown signatures (face color)
black, red (back color)
Measurements: overall: 9 cm x 16.7 cm x .01 cm; 3 17/32 in x 6 9/16 in x in
Credit line: B. M. Douglas
Topics: NNC Colonial Currency
hat
Collection: National Museum of American History
Object type: Hat
Hat; Headwear; Accessories Worn on the Body; Woman; 1920 00 00+, 1925 00 00
Credit line: Gift of Mrs. Scott Adams
Factory Wall Clock
Collection: National Museum of American History
Object type: clock, wall, factory
date made: ca 1808-1824
ca 1808
ca 1808 - 1824
maker: Hanks, Benjamin
Measurements: overall: 66 in x 21 in x 9 5/8 in; 167.64 cm x 53.34 cm x 24.4602 cm
weight: 6 in x 4 1/4 in x 3 1/4 in; 15.24 cm x 10.795 cm x 8.255 cm
pendulum: 43 in x 5 in x 29/32 in; 109.22 cm x 12.7 cm x 2.286 cm
hood: 22 in x 21 in x 9 19/32 in; 55.88 cm x 53.34 cm x 24.384 cm
case: 63 1/2 in x 18 1/4 in x 9 1/2 in; 161.29 cm x 46.355 cm x 24.13 cm
movement: 16 in x 16 in x 7 3/4 in; 40.64 cm x 40.64 cm x 19.685 cm
Description: Benjamin Hanks and his son Truman (1782-1846) designed this wall clock for use in a mill. Within the clock’s white dial are five subsidiary indicators for both time of day and mill machinery operations.
Made sometime between 1808 and 1824, perhaps as an experimental timepiece, the clock is a very early example of factory time control. At the time this clock was made, keeping track of workers’ hours was mainly the job of clerks. By the late 1880s, though, time accounting was mechanized in factories. Then the time clock, introduced to record automatically the times a worker entered and left the workplace, came to symbolize industrialization itself.
Benjamin Hanks (1755-1824) worked in Mansfield, Conn., as a clock- and watchmaker and in 1785 established a foundry there for casting bells and cannons. About 1808 he moved to the area near Troy, N.Y., and set up an iron foundry. His brother Rodney established the first water-powered silk mill in the United States in 1810.
Reference: David Todd and Richard Perlman, “An Early Factory Clock by Benjamin & Truman Hanks,” Bulletin of the National Association of Watch and Clock Collectors (February 1997): 21-29.
Massachusetts Mercury
Collection: National Museum of American History
Object type: Advertisement, William Bond Watches
newspaper
date made: January 16, 1798
Physical Description: paper (overall material)
Measurements: overall: 20 1/4 in x 12 1/2 in; 51.435 cm x 31.75 cm
book
Collection: National Museum of American History
Object type: Book
Physical Description: paper (overall material)
white, black (overall color)
Topics: Government
Social reformers
American Revolution (1775-1783)
Politics
Snuffbox
Collection: National Museum of American History
Object type: snuffbox
date made: 1791
place made: United Kingdom: England, London
Physical Description: silver (overall material)
gold (overall material)
Measurements: average spatial: .7 cm x 3 cm x 8.7 cm; 1/4 in x 1 3/16 in x 3 7/16 in
overall: 3/8 in x 3 3/8 in x 1 1/4 in; .9525 cm x 8.5725 cm x 3.175 cm
Credit line: Mrs. Jefferson Patterson (Mary Marvin Breckinridge Patterson)