"Rover" the Dog outside Cotswold Barn in the Snow, Greenfield Village, January 1931

THF623050 / "Rover" the Dog outside Cotswold Barn in the Snow, Greenfield Village, January 1931
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Artifact Overview

Henry Ford purchased a black Newfoundland puppy in 1930. The dog, named Rover, would help guard sheep at Greenfield Village's Cotswold Cottage. (Ford envisioned the interpretation of the cottage as the home of an English sheepherder.) The dog became a fixture in the Village. Rover was beloved by many: Gus Munchow--his trainer, Ford, and the schoolchildren of the Edison Institute.

Artifact Details

Artifact

Photographic print

Subject Date

12 January 1931

Location

Not on exhibit to the public.

Object ID

EI.1929.P.188.3600

Credit

From the Collections of The Henry Ford.

Material

Paper (Fiber product)

Technique

Gelatin silver process

Color

Black-and-white (Colors)

Dimensions

Height: 8.125 in
Width: 10 in

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    Cotswold Cottage

    Cotswold Cottage is from the Cotswold Hills in southwest England. The Fords were attracted to the distinctive character of Cotswold buildings, which are characterized by the yellow-brown stone, tall gables, steeply pitched roofs, and stone ornamentation around windows and doors. Several decorative additions were made to the house in England, before dismantling and re-erecting it in Greenfield Village.
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    Cotswold Stable

    This barn and stable were part of the Cotswold Cottage original site. The larger portion was the barn, used for storing and threshing grain. The wide doors and high ceilings gave room for threshing with a flail, or storing a cart. The smaller portion was the stable, likely for a cow or ox. The low ceilings keep the stable warmer.
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