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The experts at The Henry Ford have carefully created these sets. Explore a specific topic or use these as a foundation for building your own collection.
Created 05.30.2023 | 8 artifacts
Electric appliance manufacturer National Presto Industries, Inc., became known for innovative products that anticipated and responded to evolving consumer preferences. These examples from The Henry Ford's collections document the company's continuous product development, expansion into new markets, and partnership with design firm Mel Boldt and Associates, whose distinctive styling set Presto products apart from the competition.
Created 05.25.2023 | 15 artifacts
Tourist attractions offered souvenir seekers something new beginning in the 1950s: inexpensive plastic globes depicting miniature scenes swirling with "snow." With a simple shake, these unassuming objects could instantly transport travelers back to a special place, long after they returned home.
Created 05.24.2023 | 20 artifacts
Hallmark's ornaments -- with their original designs, increasing variety, and appeal to diverse customers -- have revolutionized Christmas decorating and led to the popularity of ornament collecting. Hallmark's "Classic American Cars" series, launched in 1991, celebrated beloved sports cars, pony cars, and muscle cars of the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s.
Created 04.26.2023 | 6 artifacts
Hallmark's ornaments -- with their original designs, increasing variety, and appeal to diverse customers -- have revolutionized Christmas decorating and led to the popularity of ornament collecting. Trains are a perpetually popular subject for Hallmark ornaments. This set features a selection of railroad freight cars.
Created 04.11.2023 | 11 artifacts
Hallmark's ornaments--with their original designs, increasing variety, and appeal to diverse customers--have revolutionized Christmas decorating and led to the popularity of ornament collecting. Ornaments depicting carousels and carousel figures represent the youthful delight of the holiday season. Scroll through this virtual carousel to see some of the ways Hallmark has expressed the carousel theme over the decades.
Created 03.27.2023 | 14 artifacts
Since the mid-1980s, Hallmark has been adding light, motion, and/or sound effects to certain ornaments. The company's innovative design and technical staffs collaborate as they create this "magic"--blending art and leading-edge technology to bring the ornaments' stories to life. Many of these ornaments are battery operated, while others plug into strands of miniature tree lights.
Created 03.17.2023 | 18 artifacts
Preston Tucker (1903-1956) and his Tucker 48 inspire admiration -- and debate -- to this day. Tucker built 51 cars before a shortage of money and a surplus of bad publicity closed his company. Some think the Big Three conspired to destroy him. More likely, he was overwhelmed by the enormous cost of building an automobile company from scratch. Tucker raised over $20 million, but he probably needed ten times that much to secure his firm's future.
Created 03.10.2023 | 11 artifacts
Spring! Longer days, warmer weather, and new life: a time to celebrate! Many people may not realize that Hallmark produces ornaments celebrating spring and Easter. The company added its first line of spring and Easter Keepsake ornaments in 1991. These ornaments evoke the joy and excitement of the bright, new season of rebirth and renewal.
Created 02.08.2023 | 5 artifacts
Notable women transformed the popular pastime of china painting into a profession during the late nineteenth century. They developed new tools and techniques, created associations, and taught others the art of china painting. Some went on to establish their own innovative potteries, ultimately giving rise to a new industry: art pottery. These artifacts highlight some remarkable stories of women in art pottery.
Created 02.08.2023 | 8 artifacts
China painting was an important late-19th and early-20th-century pastime for many American women.