Sylvester H. Roper, Inventor, circa 1890
THF278584 / Sylvester H. Roper, Inventor, circa 1890
01
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
Print (Visual work)
Subject Date
circa 1890
Collection Title
Location
By Request in the Benson Ford Research Center
Object ID
2011.0.26.4
Credit
From the Collections of The Henry Ford
Material
Paper (Fiber product)
Ink
Pencil (Marking material)
Technique
Engraving (Action)
Printing (Process)
Handwriting
Color
Black-and-white (Colors)
Dimensions
Height: 7 in
Width: 5.5 in
Inscriptions
on front of print: (printed) Eng. by E.G. Williams & Bro. N.Y. / (handwritten) S.H. Roper / Inventor
on back of print: (handwritten) Sylvester H. Roper / Roxbury, Mass. / Print from a book / of biographies / Please return to: / Mrs. Lester W. Claflin / 8 Storrs Rd. / Hanover, N.H. / great-granddaughter of / Sylvester
Keywords |
|---|
02
Related Artifacts
Artifact1865 Roper Steam Carriage
This vehicle is the oldest surviving American automobile. In the 1860s, a small steam carriage running under its own power -- without horses! -- was so startling that people paid to see it driven. It was a curiosity, not transportation. By the time its inventor, Sylvester Roper, died in 1896, new innovators were transforming horseless carriages from curiosities into practical vehicles.
03
Related Content
article1865 Roper Steam Carriage: The Oldest Surviving American Automobile
The 1865 Roper Steam Carriage is the oldest surviving American automobile. Learn more about this fascinating piece of automotive history at The Henry Ford.