Driving a Roper Steam Carriage, circa 1863
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Artifact Overview
Massachusetts machinist Sylvester Roper built several steam-powered carriages and motorcycles years before automobiles -- as we know them -- appeared. Roper never produced his vehicles commercially. Instead, they were exhibited at circuses and fairs, where crowds marveled at the self-propelled contraptions. Steamboats and steam locomotives were common, but steam-powered carriages were genuine novelties.
Artifact Details
Artifact
Photographic print
Subject Date
circa 1863
Creators
Creator Notes
Copy photograph by Ford Motor Company Archives.
Collection Title
Location
By Request in the Benson Ford Research Center
Object ID
84.1.1671.P.188.11221
Credit
From the Collections of The Henry Ford.
Material
Paper (Fiber product)
Linen (Material)
Technique
Gelatin silver process
Color
Black-and-white (Colors)
Dimensions
Height: 7.5 in
Width: 11 in
Inscriptions
written on back:
Austin (Roper?) Steamer ca. 1863
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