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Charles Richardson Pratt Papers

Creator:
Pratt, Charles Richardson, 1860-1935  Search this
Collector:
National Museum of American History (U.S.). Division of History of Technology  Search this
National Museum of American History (U.S.). Division of Mechanical and Civil Engineering  Search this
National Museum of American History (U.S.). Division of Work and Industry  Search this
Names:
Sprague, Frank J.  Search this
Extent:
6 Cubic feet (13 boxes, 8 oversize folders)
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Diaries
Drawings
Trade catalogs
Photographs
Notebooks
Letterpress books
Patents
Place:
Montclair (N.J.)
Date:
1860-1935
bulk 1910-1924
Summary:
The papers document the professional career of mechanical engineer, Charles Richardson Pratt. The papers include correspondence, patents, patent application materials, agreements, photographs, publications, and blueprints for many of Pratt's inventions, especially his work on elevators.
Scope and Contents:
These papers contain personal materials of Charles R. Pratt; letterpress copybooks; engineering notebooks; diaries; material relating to the development of the heavy-duty, high-rise electric elevator; material concerning elevator cable equalizers and safety devices, Morton-Jacobsen and other lathe chucks, lathe drives and the Pratt Driver, the hydraulic transmission of power in trucks, and ship steering gear; and studies reports, drawings, photographs, catalogs, and trade literature concerning mechanical engineering.
Arrangement:
The collection is arranged into eight series.

Series 1: Personal Materials, 1875-1935

Series 2: Diaries, 1894, 1928-1931

Series 3: Correspondence, 1872-1920

Series 4: Notebooks, 1880, 1889, 1900

Series 5: Inventions, 1860-1927

Series 6: Photographs, 1890-1902

Series 7: Publications, 1895-1929

Series 8: Drawings, 1878-1929
Biographical / Historical:
Charles Richardson Pratt (1860-1935), was born in Massachusetts to John C. and Mary Anne Richardson. He graduated from the Hopkins School of Boston and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1879. Pratt worked at Whittier Machine Company of Boston (1882-1890) where he designed and built the first electric elevator in 1888. The elevator was installed in the Tremont House, Boston. Pratt also worked as an agent and later as a consulting engineer for the Otis Elevator Company, the inventors of the hydraulic elevator.

Pratt was best known for his development of the first electrically powered elevator. In 1892, inventor Frank Sprague (1857-1934) founded the Sprague Electric Elevator Company, and with Charles R. Pratt developed the Sprague-Pratt Electric Elevator. They demonstrated that electrically powered elevators were capable of competing with hydraulic elevators. Pratt held several engineering positions and worked for the Marine Engine Company of Newark, New Jersey (1902-1905) developing elevator systems; consulting engineer to the Universal Speed Control Company of New York City (1906-1919); consultant to the American Engineering Company of Philadelphia (1912); mechanical superintendent at the Crocker Wheel Company of Ampere, New Jersey (1919); engineer for the E. Horton and Sons Company of Connecticut (1920-1923); the General Tractors Corporation (1924-1927); and was associated with the Watson Elevator Company of New York City (1928-1930). Pratt patented many of his ideas, earning over thirty-five patents related mostly to elevators,

Pratt was a member of the Masons, the Sons of the American Revolution, the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, the MIT Club of New Jersey, and the Motor Club of London. He married Mary Byron Ladd and they had two children, Gertrude Ladd Pratt and Donald Richardson Pratt.
Provenance:
This collection was purchased from Charles R. Pratt's daughter, Gertrude Pratt Vance, in 1973.
Restrictions:
Collection is open for research but is stored off-site and special arrangements must be made to work with it. Contact the Archives Center for information at archivescenter@si.edu or 202-633-3270.
Rights:
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
Topic:
Mechanical engineering and engineers  Search this
Inventors  Search this
Elevators  Search this
Machine-tools  Search this
Patents -- 1890-1900  Search this
Power transmission  Search this
Genre/Form:
Diaries
Drawings
Trade catalogs
Photographs -- 19th century
Notebooks
Letterpress books
Patents -- 1870-1880
Citation:
Charles Richardson Pratt Papers, 1860-1935, Archives Center, National Museum of American History.
Identifier:
NMAH.AC.0958
See more items in:
Charles Richardson Pratt Papers
Archival Repository:
Archives Center, National Museum of American History
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ep82afc1e29-876b-4494-9c92-64a14390613e
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-nmah-ac-0958
Online Media:

Marion John Hartung Mechanical Engineering Laboratory Reports

Creator:
Hartung, Marion John, 1886-1978  Search this
Former owner:
National Museum of American History (U.S.). Division of Mechanical and Civil Engineering  Search this
National Museum of American History (U.S.). Division of Work and Industry  Search this
Extent:
0.3 Cubic feet (1 box)
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Date:
1906-1907
Summary:
Collection consists of two bound volumes of mechanical engineering laboratory reports written by Hartung while he was a student at Cornell University.
Scope and Contents:
Two bound volumes of mechanical engineering lab reports, written by Marion John Hartung, while attending Cornell University. The reports describe experiements, procedures followed, equipment used, test data, and cyanotypes of equipment.
Arrangement:
The collection is arranged in one series.
Biographical / Historical:
Marion John Hartung was a mechanical engineer and president of the Maywood Chemical Works.
Provenance:
The collection was purchased by the National Museum of American History, Division of Mechanical and Civil Engineering in 1983.
Restrictions:
Collection is open for research but is stored off-site and special arrangements must be made to work with it. Contact the Archives Center for information at archivescenter@si.edu or 202-633-3270.
Rights:
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
Topic:
Civil engineering  Search this
Engineering  Search this
Mechanical engineering and engineers  Search this
Citation:
Marion John Hartung Mechanical Engineering Laboratory Reports, Archives Center, National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution
Identifier:
NMAH.AC.1033
See more items in:
Marion John Hartung Mechanical Engineering Laboratory Reports
Archival Repository:
Archives Center, National Museum of American History
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ep8f94d1c0d-ef30-4d7b-881f-7b91642377aa
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-nmah-ac-1033

Engineering Notebook Collection

Creator:
National Museum of American History (U.S.). Division of Engineering and Industry  Search this
Names:
Ames Iron Works.  Search this
Hendrick Manufacturing Company  Search this
Woodruff and Beach Iron Works.  Search this
Bennett, C.  Search this
Blaisdell, Alfred O.  Search this
Gordon, W. F.  Search this
Reed, James  Search this
Richardson, William J.  Search this
Sheldon, Frank P.  Search this
Snow, J. Parker  Search this
Extent:
0.3 Cubic feet (1 box

)
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Technical descriptions
Technical notes
Financial data
Inspections
Lists
Drawings
Shop orders
Notebooks
Date:
1835-1930
Summary:
Collection of personal notebooks of civil engineers.
Scope and Contents note:
Mainly personal notebooks of engineers, although one is a listing of products of a manufacturer of gears and another is a compilation of shop orders for various products of a manufacturer. They generally contain technical descriptions, drawings, specifications, and financial data.
Provenance:
Immediate source of acquisition unknown.
Restrictions:
Collection is open for research.
Rights:
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
Occupation:
Engineers  Search this
Topic:
Furnaces  Search this
Architecture -- United States  Search this
Bridges  Search this
Boilers  Search this
Mechanical engineering and engineers  Search this
Mills and mill-work  Search this
Kilns  Search this
Engineering: financial accounting  Search this
Engineering notebooks  Search this
Engineering: shop orders  Search this
Piers  Search this
Docks  Search this
Civil engineering  Search this
Engineering  Search this
Railroads  Search this
Railroad car builders  Search this
Steam-engines  Search this
Refrigeration and refrigerating machinery  Search this
Genre/Form:
Technical descriptions
Technical notes
Financial data
Inspections
Lists
Drawings
Shop orders
Notebooks
Citation:
Engineering Notebook Collection, 1835-1930, Archives Center, National Museum of American History
Identifier:
NMAH.AC.0225
See more items in:
Engineering Notebook Collection
Archival Repository:
Archives Center, National Museum of American History
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ep8b4c9d0f7-246c-410c-a9e6-591c65a470a5
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-nmah-ac-0225
Online Media:

Inventors Oral History Collection

Creator:
Jerome and Dorothy Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation.  Search this
Interviewer:
Bedi, Joyce  Search this
Daemmrich, Arthur  Search this
Oswald, Alison  Search this
Ott, Katherine  Search this
Interviewee:
Hamilton, Marilyn, 1949-  Search this
Hyatt, Gilbert P. , 1938-  Search this
Lindahl, Lisa  Search this
Miller, Hinda  Search this
Reid, Tahira N.  Search this
Smith, Polly Palmer  Search this
Extent:
855.63 Gigabytes (Interviews include .mp4, video/.mxf and .wav files. )
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Gigabytes
Born digital
Oral history
Transcripts
Date:
2020-2021
Summary:
Born digital video oral history interviews and transcripts with inventors documenting a variety of subjects and disciplines.
Arrangement:
The collection is arranged into one series, alphabetical by last name of interviewee.
Related Materials:
Materials in the Archives Center

JogBra, Inc. Records (NMAH.AC.1315)

Disability Reference Collection (NMAH.AC.1319)

Folia Water Materials (NMAH.AC.1407)

Materials at the Smithsonian Institution Archives

Program/Project Records, 1994-2017 (SIA Acc. 19-100)

Interview with Theresa Dankovitch, inventor of the Folia water filter.

Interview with David Stone, inventor of Ferrock, a carbon-negative substitute for concrete. Also includes interviewee Richard Pablo.

Interview with Amy Prieto, inventor of a rechargeable battery.

Interview with John Warner, co-founder of the field of green chemistry.

Program/Project Records, 1989-2010 (SIA Acc. 12-582)

Interview with Remo Belli, jazz drummer who developed and marketed the first successful synthetic drumheads and founded the Remo company.

Interview with Arthur Ganson, inventor, kinetic sculptor and musician.

Audiovisual Records, 1995-2014 (SIA Acc. 16-092)

Interview with Gary Fisher, inventor of the modern mountain bike.

Lemelson Center, Program/Project Records, 2006-2015 (SIA Acc. 16-043)

Interview with Doreen Lorenzo, former president of Quirky.

Interview with Corinna E. Lathan, co-Founder of AnthroTronix, Inc., a biomedical research and development company with a focus on assistive technologies.
Restrictions:
Collection is open for research. Access and use of audiovisual materials available in the Archives Center reading room or by requesting copies of audiovisual materials at RightsReproductions@si.edu.
Rights:
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
Topic:
African American engineers  Search this
Brassieres -- 20th century  Search this
Computer science  Search this
Disabilities  Search this
Double Dutch  Search this
Electrical engineering  Search this
Electrical engineers  Search this
Inventors  Search this
Inventions -- 20th century  Search this
Mechanical engineers  Search this
Mechanical engineering and engineers  Search this
Microprocessors  Search this
Running  Search this
Sports  Search this
Sports bra  Search this
Women inventors  Search this
wheelchairs  Search this
Inventors, Black  Search this
Genre/Form:
Born digital
Oral history -- 2010-2020
Transcripts
Citation:
Inventors Oral History Collection, Archives Center, National Museum of American History
Identifier:
NMAH.AC.1504
See more items in:
Inventors Oral History Collection
Archival Repository:
Archives Center, National Museum of American History
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ep85c072cbb-cb11-493e-a0e6-184df5e09c2e
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-nmah-ac-1504

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