"Monkey Bar" Diorama, Made by Prisoner Patrick J. Culhane and Presented to Henry Ford, 1914-1915
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In 1915, Patrick J. Culhane, an inmate at the Massachusetts State Prison, presented this diorama to Henry Ford. Culhane depicted monkeys engaging in activities he believed lead to the downfall of many prisoners, such as gambling and drinking alcohol. Ford, interested in the man who produced this elaborate work, probably secured Culhane's release and gave him a job at the Ford assembly plant in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
In 1915, Patrick J. Culhane, an inmate at the Massachusetts State Prison, presented this diorama to Henry Ford. Culhane depicted monkeys engaging in activities he believed lead to the downfall of many prisoners, such as gambling and drinking alcohol. Ford, interested in the man who produced this elaborate work, probably secured Culhane's release and gave him a job at the Ford assembly plant in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
Artifact
Diorama
Date Made
1914-1915
Creators
Place of Creation
United States, Massachusetts, Boston, Charlestown
Creator Notes
Made by Patrick J. Culhane as a prisoner at Charlestown State Prison.
Location
Not on exhibit to the public.
Object ID
15.1.1
Credit
From the Collections of The Henry Ford. Gift of Patrick J. Culhane.
Material
Peach pit
Wood (Plant material)
Nitrocellulose
Paper (Fiber product)
Tin (Metal)
Lead (Metal)
Glass (Material)
Technique
Handmade
Inlay (Process)
Woodcarving
Color
Brown
Dimensions
Height: 11.875 in
Width: 16.125 in
Length: 20.25 in
Inscriptions
Printed on card mounted at back of case: PRESENTED TO MR. FORD AS A TOKEN OF APPRECIATION AND ESTEEM FOR HIS BENEVOLENT AND MAGNANIMOUS ACTS TOWARD, AND KEEN INTEREST IN PRISONERS. BY A PRISONER
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