FMC Tomato Harvester, 1969

Calling it his "automotive plow," Henry Ford had Joseph Galamb and C.J. Smith construct this experimental machine. It is powered by a 1905 Ford Model B engine with copper water jackets. This tractor represents either the first or, more probably, the second of several experimental lightweight tractor designs which culminated in the production of the Fordson tractor for U.S. markets in 1918.

The Henry Ford marks its 90th anniversary in 2019. In celebration, The Henry Ford's curators have taken a decade-by-decade look at how our collections have grown -- through significant additions and evolving philosophies. This set looks at some of the objects and archives collected during the 1990s.

"Combines" combine the major tasks of grain harvest: cutting and gathering the crop, threshing and separating the kernels from the chaff, and disposing of the straw. The Massey-Harris Model 20, introduced in 1938, culminated over 100 years of mechanical improvements. One driver operated the self-propelled machine, which reduced the need for hired help during the labor shortages of World War II.

Spinning frames spin cotton fiber into yarn and then wind it onto a bobbin. This throstle spinning frame could simultaneously spin 64 strands of yarn. (Throstle -- an old name for a song thrush -- refers to the bird-like sounds the machine made.) Machines like this helped produce the large quantities of yarn that growing industrial weaving operations needed in the early and mid-1800s.

We're celebrating our 90th birthday by looking, decade by decade, at significant additions to our collection. During the 1990s, we acquired the 1906 "Old 16" race car, a 1969 tomato harvester, and a Lost in Space lunchbox, among others.