Robert Boyer and Henry Ford in the Soybean Laboratory, Greenfield Village, 1936
THF222339 / Robert Boyer and Henry Ford in the Soybean Laboratory, Greenfield Village, 1936
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Artifact Overview
Chemist Robert Boyer, pictured here with Henry Ford, oversaw a series of experiments at Greenfield Village's Soybean Laboratory. The undertaking resulted in a plastic-bodied car. Henry Ford had a strong interest in plastic automobile parts. Always partial to projects combining industry with agriculture, Ford hoped plastic made from soybeans might be developed into a safe, strong substitute for traditional metals.
Artifact Details
Artifact
Photographic print
Subject Date
1936
Place of Creation
Collection Title
Location
By Request in the Benson Ford Research Center
Object ID
P.188.17752
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: 8.25 in
Width: 10 in
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Related Content
SetHenry Ford: Soybeans
- 15 Artifacts
Henry Ford believed that industry and agriculture should complement one another. In the 1930s, he pursued soybeans as a crop that might unite the two. Ford built a soybean laboratory in Greenfield Village. Experiments there led to the use of some soy-based oils and plastics in Ford Motor Company vehicles.