Allis' Buckthorn Barbed Wire, 1881-1900
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
1881-1900
Creators
Place of Creation
Creator Notes
Patented in 1881 by Thomas V. Allis of New York, New York.
Location
Not on exhibit to the public.
Object ID
00.4.3294
Credit
From the Collections of The Henry Ford.
Material
Iron (Metal)
Color
Gray (Color)
Dimensions
Height: 1 in
Width: 0.75 in
Length: 20.5 in