German Toy Steam Engine
date: label: date made
content: 20th century
notes: label: Description (Brief)
content: The Bing Company of Bavaria, Germany manufactured this toy steam engine during the early 20th century. The horizontal boiler has a steam whistle and sight glass above a black firebox with a simulated brickwork chimney. The boiler powers an orange horizontal slide valve engine and flywheel. Everything is mounted on a tin base that measures 9.25 by 9.5 inches.
label: Description (Brief)
content: The Gebrüder Bing (Bing Brothers) toy company was founded in Nuremburg, Germany by Adolf and Ignatz Bing in 1863 and operated until 1932. The company was renamed Bing Werke (Bing Works) in 1918 when Ignatz Bing died. While very successful from 1863 until 1912, World War I created an unfavorable export market for German products, and the hard post-war years caused additional financial hardships. The harsh political climate in Germany forced the Jewish Bing family to flee to England in 1932, and Bing’s assets were acquired by rival toy company Bub in 1933.
label: Location
content: Currently not on view
setName: label: See more items in
content: Work and Industry: Mechanical and Civil Engineering
label: See more items in
content: Family & Social Life
label: See more items in
content: Engineering, Building, and Architecture
label: See more items in
content: Engineering Steam Toys and Models
publisher: label: Related Publication
content: Maass, Eleanor A.. Greville Bathe's "Theatre of Machines": The Evolution of a Scholar and His Collection
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: Bequest of the Estate of Greville I. Bathe
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: MC.328991
label: catalog number
content: 328991
label: accession number
content: 278175
objectType: label: Object Name
content: toy, steam engine and boiler
label: Object Name
content: steam engine and boiler, toy
physicalDescription: label: Physical Description
content: tin (overall material)
label: Measurements
content: boiler - from catalog card: 5 in x 2 in; x 12.7 cm x 5.08 cm
label: Measurements
content: flywheel - from catalog card: 2 3/4 in; x 6.985 cm
label: Measurements
content: overall - from catalog card: 14 1/4 in x 9 1/2 in x 9 1/4 in; 36.195 cm x 24.13 cm x 23.495 cm
label: Measurements
content: overall: 14 1/2 in x 9 1/8 in x 9 1/2 in; 36.83 cm x 23.1775 cm x 24.13 cm