Reproduction of Eli Whitney's Cotton Gin Model
notes: label: Description
content: In 1794, Eli Whitney patented a new kind of cotton gin. His invention, using rotating brushes and teeth to remove the seeds from cotton, was quickly pirated by others.
label: Description
content: Southern plantation owners depended on slaves for labor-intensive crops such as rice, sugar, tobacco, and especially cotton. As the market demand for cotton increased in the early 1800s, the Southern cotton industry expanded dramatically, as did the system of slave labor it relied on.
label: Location
content: Currently not on view
setName: label: See more items in
content: Home and Community Life: Textiles
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content: Industry & Manufacturing
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content: National Treasures exhibit
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content: Agriculture
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content: Textiles
publisher: label: Related Publication
content: Kendrick, Kathleen M. and Peter C. Liebhold. Smithsonian Treasures of American History
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: TE.T08791.000
label: catalog number
content: T8791
label: accession number
content: 48865
label: catalog number
content: T-8791
objectType: label: Object Name
content: gin, reproduction cotton
physicalDescription: label: Physical Description
content: wood (overall material)
label: Physical Description
content: metal (overall material)
label: Measurements
content: overall: 11 in x 14 in x 14 in; 27.94 cm x 35.56 cm x 35.56 cm