Allis' Buckthorn Barbed Wire, 1881-1900

Summary

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

Allis, Thomas V. 

Place of Creation

United States 

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

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