Ford Motor Company Measurement Poster, "Foot," circa 1960
THF257662 / Ford Motor Company Measurement Poster, "Foot," circa 1960
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Artifact Overview
This poster is part of a portfolio illustrating the history of measurement. As several of these posters make clear, early units of measurement were sometimes based upon the bodies of "average men" or royalty. Using a dynamic, simple illustration style, these posters reveal how the standardization of measurements aided the growth and refinement of industrial, precision, and scientific processes.
Artifact Details
Artifact
Poster
Date Made
circa 1960
Creators
Place of Creation
Collection Title
Location
By Request in the Benson Ford Research Center
Object ID
2016.98.2
Credit
From the Collections of The Henry Ford.
Material
Paper (Fiber product)
Technique
Photomechanical processes
Color
Multicolored
Dimensions
Height: 18 in
Width: 21.75 in
Inscriptions
at bottom:
Foot: The Roman "foot" was 2/3 of the Olympic Cubit or 12.16 inches. It was divided into / 12 thumbnail breadths called "unriae" by the Romans, and "inches" by the British. / RESEARCH AND INFORMATION DEPARTMENT, FORD MOTOR COMPANY, DEARBORN, MICHIGAN
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Related Content
SetA History of Measurement, Presented by the Ford Research and Information Department
- 10 Artifacts
Around 1960, Ford Motor Company's Research and Information Department produced a set of educational posters presenting "a short history of how our system of linear measurement and measurement of length came into being." Concise captions accompanying dynamic, simple illustrations revealed the origins of many standards of measurement and explained their critical role in science and industry.
articleMeasuring a Path to Precision
Discover a series of eight posters created around 1960 by the Ford Motor Company Research and Information Department, depicting the ways humans have measured over time.