Wing's Two-Staple Barb on Oval Line Barbed Wire, Patented 1878
Add to SetSummary
Inventors received hundreds of patents for barbed wire during the late 1800s. Some innovators created strands of fencing with sharp metal points cut into the wire; others incorporated small wire spurs twisted and attached to the wire to create a painful barrier. Each inventor believed their variation made the best fencing to keep livestock out of crop fields or confine them to pastures.
Inventors received hundreds of patents for barbed wire during the late 1800s. Some innovators created strands of fencing with sharp metal points cut into the wire; others incorporated small wire spurs twisted and attached to the wire to create a painful barrier. Each inventor believed their variation made the best fencing to keep livestock out of crop fields or confine them to pastures.
Artifact
Barbed wire
Date Made
1878
Creators
Place of Creation
Creator Notes
Patented in 1878 by Lewis T. Larson Wing of Cambridge, Iowa.
Location
Not on exhibit to the public.
Object ID
78.37.11
Credit
From the Collections of The Henry Ford.
Material
Iron (Metal)
Color
Gray (Color)
Dimensions
Height: 1 in
Width: 0.75 in
Length: 18.75 in
Share Anywhere
Use this Artifact Card to share this great find with others. From historic images to vivid descriptions, a record of rich detail is bundled inside a single card.
