Hydraulic Shear at Ford Rouge Plant, 1927

01

Artifact Overview

To produce steel for Rouge plant operations, Ford used ten open-hearth furnaces. The furnaces, each with a capacity of at least 180 tons, resided here in the open-hearth building. These workers used a steam-powered shearer to smash scrap metal into small pieces. The bits of metal joined with molten iron in one of the furnaces and eventually became steel.

Artifact Details

Artifact

Photographic print

Subject Date

1927

Creator Notes

Originally photographed by Charles Sheeler in 1927 for Ford Motor Company. Copied by Ford Motor Company in 1929.

Location

By Request in the Benson Ford Research Center

Object ID

64.167.189.P.6584

Credit

From the Collections of The Henry Ford. Gift of Ford Motor Company.

Material

Paper (Fiber product)
Linen (Material)

Technique

Gelatin silver process

Color

Black-and-white (Colors)

Dimensions

Height: 10.875 in
Width: 7.375 in

Hydraulic Shear at Ford Rouge Plant, 1927