Model of Menlo Park Machine Shop Built for the New York World's Fair, Set Up inside Henry Ford Museum, March 31, 1939
THF222376 / Model of Menlo Park Machine Shop Built for the New York World's Fair, Set Up inside Henry Ford Museum, March 31, 1939
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Artifact Overview
Henry Ford firmly believed in the "practical educational value" of World's Fair exhibits. To help accomplish his education mission during the 1939-40 New York World's Fair, he highlighted the work of students attending his experimental schools. Here, boys from Henry Ford's Edison Institute Schools operated miniature machine replicas based on Thomas Edison's Menlo Park Machine Shop.
Artifact Details
Artifact
Photographic print
Date Made
31 March 1939
Subject Date
31 March 1939
Place of Creation
Collection Title
Location
By Request in the Benson Ford Research Center
Object ID
P.188.24712
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: 8 in
Width: 10.25 in
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Related Artifacts
ArtifactMenlo Park Machine Shop
The presence of a machine shop (and of foreman / head machinist John Kruesi) was fundamental to the success of Menlo Park. This well-equipped facility -- built to replace the small machine shop originally installed in the laboratory -- enabled Edison and his associates to not only rapidly prototype iterations of experimental devices but also facilitate their eventual, profitable manufacture.
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Related Content
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