J. L. Hess Toy Motor
notes: label: Description (Brief)
content: This toy motor was manufactured by the Hess Company in Nuremburg, Germany during the early 20th century. The “J.L.H.” makers mark on the base of the toy dates the motor to between 1906 and 1930, when John Leonard Hess took over the company. This type of friction-inertia motor was marketed as the Dynamobil. The motor is a crank operated friction-inertia toy. The winding of the crank builds up inertia and when the switch is turned on, the engine spins its axel, which would power machine accessories connected to the engine either directly or through a line shaft.
label: Location
content: Currently not on view
place: label: place made
content: Germany
setName: label: See more items in
content: Work and Industry: Mechanical and Civil Engineering
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content: Family & Social Life
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content: Engineering, Building, and Architecture
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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.329043
label: catalog number
content: 329043
label: accession number
content: 278175
objectType: label: Object Name
content: generator
label: Object Name
content: motor, toy
physicalDescription: label: Physical Description
content: wood (base material)
label: Physical Description
content: metal (overall material)
label: Measurements
content: overall - from catalog card: 2 1/2 in x 1 3/4 in; 6.35 cm x 4.445 cm
label: Measurements
content: overall: 2 7/8 in x 2 5/8 in x 3 5/8 in; 7.3025 cm x 6.6675 cm x 9.2075 cm