Machinery Records
name: label: Collection Donor
content: Nickse, Hugo
label: Collection Donor
content: Johnson, Hanford
label: Collection Creator
content: Comstock, Cheney and Co.
label: Collection Creator
content: Pratt, Read and Company
label: Collection Donor
content: Steinway, Henry Ziegler
setName: label: See more items in
content: Pratt, Read Corporation Records
label: See more items in
content: Pratt, Read Corporation Records / Series 3: Pratt, Read and Company, Pratt, Read and Company, Inc., and Pratt-Read Corporation
unitdate: label: Date
content: 1903 - 1954
dataSource: label: Archival Repository
content: Archives Center, National Museum of American History
identifier: label: Identifier
content: NMAH.AC.0320, Subseries 3.9
objectType: label: Type
content: Archival materials
scopecontent: label: Scope and Contents
content: While some of the MACHINERY RECORDS, 1903-1954, relate to the engines and boilers used to keep the factory running, most deal with the machines used to turn out finished ivory keys, piano keyboards, and piano actions.  These take the form of a series of oversize blueprint drawings on each machine.  The drawings are arranged according to their original order of placement in several different folios of drawings.  Thus, drawings for the same machine are sometimes found in different folders within this subseries  usually indicating later modifications to the machine.  These drawings were selected by a historian knowledgeable about machinery and manufacturing processes during the initial visit to the Pratt, Read site.  They were chosen for their emphasis on the specialized processes involved in working with ivory and the production of pianos.  Drawings for more general purpose machines were not selected for this collection.  The drawings of specialized machines, dating from 1903 1934, are located in ten oversized folders in two map case drawers.