Rubber Band
notes: label: Description
content: In 1844, the American chemist Charles Goodyear (1800-1860) patented a process for producing rubber that was pliable, moldable and waterproof. In short order, many “India rubber” goods were to be had. This early rubber band, wrapped around a paper ballot of 1858, came from Leo Hershkowitz, a professor of history at Queens College in New York City who was known for having “Unearthed New York City’s History by Scavenging Archives.” The inscription reads, in part: “Goodyear’s Metallic Ela(stic) / Manufactured under Pate(nts) of / by Henry Daven(po)rt, (Ne)w. . .” Davenport sold an assortment of india rubber goods and, in 1855, received a medal from the American Institute of New York, for “rubber elastic bands.” In 1856 he received a patent for mode of making gutta percha cord.
label: Location
content: Currently not on view
setName: label: See more items in
content: Medicine and Science: Physical Sciences
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: 1983.0624.002
label: catalog number
content: 1983.0624.002
label: accession number
content: 1983.0624
objectType: label: Object Name
content: rubber band
label: Object Name
content: rubber band
physicalDescription: label: Measurements
content: overall: 8 3/16 in x 3 3/8 in x 7/16 in; 20.79625 cm x 8.5725 cm x 1.11125 cm