Photograph of James Parsons with lab colleagues at Duriron Co.
date: label: Date
content: 1930s
name: label: Photograph by
content: Unidentified
label: Subject of
content: James A. Parsons Jr., American, 1900 - 1989
label: Subject of
content: Unidentified Man or Men
notes: label: Caption
content: James A. Parsons Jr. was a scientist, inventor, and university professor, whose research with rust resistant metals and iron alloys is credited with leading to the development of stainless steel. He developed Durimet 20, a corrosion-resistant stainless steel alloy also known as Alloy 20, which is still widely used today in a diverse range of industries including petrochemical, textile, nuclear, aerospace, automotive, pharmaceutical, textile and chemical and food processing.
label: Caption
content: Born in 1900, Parsons grew up in Dayton, OH, where his father worked as a butler for Pierce Schenk, the founder of metal manufacturer Duriron Co. Schenk covered Parsons’ tuition at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in exchange for Parsons’ work over summer breaks. Parsons graduated from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) in 1922 with a degree in Electrical Engineering and returned to working at Duriron Co., where he eventually established what was likely the first all-Black industrial research laboratory. Over the course of his career, Parsons received eight patents, won the Harmon Medal in 1928 for his scientific achievements, and had a distinguished teaching career at Tennessee Agriculture and Industrial State College (now Tennessee State University) and Ohio State University.
label: Description
content: A black-and-white photograph group portrait of James A. Parsons, Jr. with five lab colleagues from Duriron Co. Parsons is seated in the front row, left seat. Two other men are seated next to him, with three additional men standing behind. All six are wearing suits with ties. Parsons and the man behind him wear lighter colored suits and the young man seated in the middle wears a bow tie and eyeglasses.
place: label: Place captured
content: Dayton, Greene County, Ohio, United States, North and Central America
topic: label: Topic
content: African American
label: Topic
content: Business
label: Topic
content: Engineering
label: Topic
content: Labor
label: Topic
content: Photography
label: Topic
content: Race relations
label: Topic
content: Science
setName: label: See more items in
content: National Museum of African American History and Culture Collection
label: Classification
content: Photographs and Still Images
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Grant Shipp
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of African American History and Culture
identifier: label: Object number
content: 2015.246.14
objectType: label: Type
content: photographs
objectRights: label: Restrictions & Rights
content: Unknown - Restrictions Possible
label: Restrictions & Rights
content: Rights assessment and proper usage is the responsibility of the user.
physicalDescription: label: Medium
content: silver and photographic gelatin on photographic paper
label: Dimensions
content: H x W: 8 × 6 in. (20.3 × 15.2 cm)