Lift Created for Franklin D. Roosevelt to Board the Presidential Railcar, "Ferdinand Magellan," circa 1943
01
Artifact Overview
Franklin Delano Roosevelt was diagnosed with polio (later suggested to have been Guillain-Barre syndrome) in 1921 and experienced permanent paralysis in both legs. Though he tried to keep it private, Roosevelt used a wheelchair throughout his presidency (1933-1945). This lift allowed him to board the railcar Ferdinand Magellan, which was equipped for presidential use during World War II.
Artifact Details
Artifact
Photographic print
Subject Date
circa 1943
Collection Title
Location
By Request in the Benson Ford Research Center
Object ID
2011.241.14.52
Credit
From the Collections of The Henry Ford. Gift of Edward L. Gies in Memory of Morgan L. Gies.
Material
Paper (Fiber product)
Technique
Gelatin silver process
Color
Black-and-white (Colors)
Dimensions
Height: 9.938 in
Width: 8.125 in
Inscriptions
Type-written caption on back:
This is the lift for President Roosevelt so he may board the Ferdinand Magellan, Roosevelt's personal railroad car. (Showing the lift closed)
Handwritten:
To be copied
Keywords |
|---|
03
Related Content
article
Examining the Four Freedoms
Explore Franklin Delano Roosevelt's 1941 “Four Freedoms” speech, covering freedom of speech and expression, freedom of every person to worship God in his own way, freedom from want, and freedom from fear.
article
President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s “Sunshine Special”
Learn all about the "Sunshine Special," the 1939 Lincoln limousine used first by President Franklin Delano Roosevelt and then by President Harry Truman, now in Henry Ford Museum.