Henry Ford Wearing Soybean Suit on His 78th Birthday, July 30, 1941
THF96588 / Henry Ford Wearing Soybean Suit on His 78th Birthday, July 30, 1941
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Artifact Overview
In the 1930s, Henry Ford's ambition to combine agriculture with industry resulted in large-scale soybean experimentation. Ford planted thousands of acres to the legume, which chemists used to create useful products including paints and plastics. He even commissioned a suit made with soybean protein fibers, which he modeled for this photograph taken on July 30, 1941 -- Ford's 78th birthday.
Artifact Details
Artifact
Photographic print
Subject Date
30 July 1941
Place of Creation
Collection Title
Location
By Request in the Benson Ford Research Center
Object ID
84.1.1660.P.188.29414
Credit
From the Collections of The Henry Ford. Gift of Ford Motor Company.
Material
Paper (Fiber product)
Technique
Gelatin silver process
Color
Black-and-white (Colors)
Dimensions
Height: 3.5 in
Width: 4.75 in
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Related Artifacts
ArtifactSoybean Lab Agricultural Gallery
Constructed in Greenfield Village, this building was an experimental soybean research laboratory during the 1930s. Henry Ford was looking for ways that farmers could use crops for industrial purposes, especially in the manufacture of car parts. Special equipment was designed here to process soybeans into oil and meal. Today, this building houses agricultural implements from the museum's collections.