Search Results

Creator:

Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden  Search this

Type:

YouTube Videos

Uploaded:

2018-09-07T19:23:08.000Z

YouTube Category:

Education  Search this

Topic:

Art, modern  Search this

See more by:

hirshhornmuseum

Data Source:

Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden

YouTube Channel:

hirshhornmuseum

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:yt_eKnd-EGCZm4

Manufacturer:

Delta Wing Kites and Gliders Incorporated  Search this

Dimensions:

Wingspan: 9 m (29 ft 5 in)

Length: 2.7 m (9 ft)

Weights: Empty, 19 kg (41 lb)

Gross, 109 kg (241 lb)

Type:

CRAFT-Aircraft

Country of Origin:

United States of America

Credit Line:

Gift of Bill Bennett.

Inventory Number:

A19840715000

Restrictions & Rights:

CC0

See more items in:

National Air and Space Museum Collection

Location:

Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, VA

Exhibit Station:

Ultralight Aircraft

Data Source:

National Air and Space Museum

GUID:

http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/nv96ed774d9-5b56-401c-b1e8-b77c10a1a867

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:nasm_A19840715000

Author:

Wilson-Barnao, Caroline  Search this

Physical description:

1 online resource illustrations (black and white)

Type:

Electronic resources

Place:

Australia

New Zealand

Australie

Nouvelle-Zélande

Date:

2021

Topic:

Museum techniques--Technological innovations  Search this

Museums and the Internet  Search this

Museum information networks  Search this

Virtual museums  Search this

Muséologie--Innovations  Search this

Musées et Internet  Search this

Musées--Réseaux d'information  Search this

Musées virtuels  Search this

Call number:

AM7 .W555 2022 (Internet)

Restrictions & Rights:

1-user

Data Source:

Smithsonian Libraries

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:siris_sil_1160927

Author:

Herman, Ana-Maria  Search this

Physical description:

1 online resource

Type:

Electronic resources

Place:

Québec (Province)

Montréal

Québec

Date:

2023

Topic:

Museum exhibits--Technological innovations  Search this

Museums--Technological innovations  Search this

Digital media--Political aspects  Search this

Application software  Search this

SOCIAL SCIENCE / Media Studies  Search this

Call number:

AM7 .H47 2023 (Internet)

Restrictions & Rights:

1-user

Data Source:

Smithsonian Libraries

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:siris_sil_1160931

Creator:

Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum  Search this

Type:

YouTube Videos

Uploaded:

2018-02-26T20:11:46.000Z

YouTube Category:

Education  Search this

Topic:

Design  Search this

See more by:

cooperhewitt

Data Source:

Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum

YouTube Channel:

cooperhewitt

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:yt_GulBsSxMRQQ

Creator:

Lemelson Center, National Museum of American History  Search this

Type:

Conversations and talks

YouTube Videos

Uploaded:

2021-05-21T18:24:35.000Z

YouTube Category:

Science & Technology  Search this

Topic:

American History  Search this

See more by:

LemelsonCenter

Data Source:

Lemelson Center, National Museum of American History

YouTube Channel:

LemelsonCenter

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:yt_crjMv5mk3cc

Author:

Pelton, Joseph N.,  Search this

Physical description:

1 online resource

Type:

Electronic resources

Date:

2019

Topic:

Space industrialization--Technological innovations  Search this

Space sciences--Technological innovations  Search this

Sciences spatiales--Innovations  Search this

BUSINESS & ECONOMICS--Industries--General  Search this

Call number:

HD9711.75.A2 P45 2019 (Internet)

Restrictions & Rights:

1-user

Data Source:

Smithsonian Libraries

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:siris_sil_1160460

Author:

Parry, Ross  Search this

Physical description:

xv, 166 pages illustrations 25 cm

Type:

Books

Date:

2007

Topic:

Museums--Data processing  Search this

Museums--Technological innovations  Search this

Museums--Information technology  Search this

Museums--Curatorship  Search this

Museums--Philosophy  Search this

Virtual museums  Search this

Digital media  Search this

Musées--Informatique  Search this

Musées--Innovations  Search this

Musées--Technologie de l'information  Search this

Musées--Philosophie  Search this

Musées virtuels  Search this

Médias numériques  Search this

Datenverarbeitung  Search this

Information und Dokumentation  Search this

Informationstechnik  Search this

Museum  Search this

Neue Medien  Search this

Computer--Museum  Search this

Museum--Elektronische Medien  Search this

Elektronische Medien--Museum  Search this

Museum--Technischer Fortschritt  Search this

Technischer Fortschritt--Museum  Search this

Museum--Computer  Search this

Museiteknik  Search this

Digitalisering  Search this

Informationsteknik  Search this

Geschichte 1980-2006  Search this

Data Source:

Smithsonian Libraries

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:siris_sil_824839

Collection Creator:

Sklarek, Norma Merrick, 1926-2012  Search this

Container:

Box 1, Folder 14

Type:

Archival materials

Text

Date:

1986

Collection Restrictions:

Collection is open for research. Access to collection materials requires an appointment.

Collection Rights:

The NMAAHC Archives can provide reproductions of some materials for research and educational use. Copyright and right to publicity restrictions apply and limit reproduction for other purposes.

Collection Citation:

Norma Merrick Sklarek Archival Collection, 1944-2008. National Museum of African American History and Culture, Smithsonian Institution.

See more items in:

Norma Merrick Sklarek Archival Collection

Norma Merrick Sklarek Archival Collection / Series 7: Published Materials, 1965-2004 (Bulk: 1980-1993) / 7.2: Clippings, 1956-2004

Archival Repository:

National Museum of African American History and Culture

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/io384445be7-6f8f-45b7-9dda-3c7f3f64af73

EDAN-URL:

ead_component:sova-nmaahc-a2018-23-ref103

Author:

Morus, Iwan Rhys 1964-  Search this

Physical description:

1 online resource (281 pages) illustrations

Type:

Electronic resources

History

Place:

Great Britain

Date:

2022

19th century

Topic:

Inventors--History  Search this

Technological innovations--History  Search this

Science--History  Search this

Inventors  Search this

Science  Search this

Technological innovations  Search this

Call number:

T26.G7 M67 2022 (Internet)

Restrictions & Rights:

1-user

Data Source:

Smithsonian Libraries

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:siris_sil_1159958

Interviewee:

Paul, Les  Search this

Eastman, William  Search this

Creator:

Jerome and Dorothy Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation.  Search this

Interviewer:

McGovern, Charles  Search this

Extent:

1 Cubic foot (3 boxes)

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Video recordings

Interviews

Oral history

Transcripts

Date:

2005

Summary:

Video recordings, transcripts, and footage logs for the Lemelson Center affiliated Les Paul Project. Interviews were conducted with Les Paul in Mahwah, New Jersey; at the Songwriters Hall of Fame Awards ceremony, the National Inventors Hall of Fame and backstage at the Iridium Building in New York City.

Scope and Contents:

Video recordings comprising the research for the Smithsonian-affiliated Les Paul Project. Interviews were conducted with Les Paul in Mahwah, New Jersey at the Songwriters Hall of Fame Awards ceremony; the Inventors Hall of Fame in Akron, Ohio; and backstage at the Tridium Building in New York City. Charles McGovern and Will Eastman conducted the interviews.

Arrangement:

Collection is arranged into two series.

Series 1, Transcripts and Logs, 2005

Subseries 1, Transcripts, 2005 Subseries 2, Logs, 2005 Series 2, Video Tapes, 2005

Subseries 1, Reference Copies, 2005

Subseries 2, Master Copies, 2005

Biographical / Historical:

Jazz guitarist and inventor, born in Wisconsin in 1915. He developed the solid-body electric guitar, and numerous other technological innovations in music including overdubbing, delay effects and multitrack recording.

Provenance:

Created for the Lemelson Center in 2005.

Restrictions:

Collection is open for research and access on site by appointment.Viewing DVCPRO clone videotapes in the collection requires special appointment. Do not use original materials when available on reference video or audio tapes.

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:

Electric Guitar  Search this

Musicians  Search this

Guitars  Search this

Inventors  Search this

Genre/Form:

Video recordings

Interviews

Oral history

Transcripts

Citation:

Les Paul Videohistory Project Collection, 2005, Archives Center, National Museum of American History.

Sponsor:

Partial funding for this collection was made possible, in part, by the Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation at the National Museum of American History.

Identifier:

NMAH.AC.1121

See more items in:

Les Paul Videohistory Project Collection

Archival Repository:

Archives Center, National Museum of American History

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ep8d09e7eef-1076-42db-a02e-4f1281f9b7ed

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-nmah-ac-1121

Author:

Cain, Victoria E. M. 1974-  Search this

Physical description:

1 online resource

Type:

Electronic resources

History

Place:

United States

États-Unis

Date:

2021

20th century

20e siècle

Topic:

Audio-visual education--History  Search this

Educational technology--History  Search this

Mass media in education  Search this

Education--Effect of technological innovations on  Search this

Enseignement--Méthodes audiovisuelles--Histoire  Search this

Technologie éducative--Histoire  Search this

Médias en éducation  Search this

Éducation--Effets des innovations sur  Search this

Audio-visual education  Search this

Educational technology  Search this

EDUCATION / Computers & Technology  Search this

SOCIAL SCIENCE / Media Studies  Search this

EDUCATION / History  Search this

Call number:

LB1043 .C28 2021 (Internet)

Restrictions & Rights:

1-user

Data Source:

Smithsonian Libraries

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:siris_sil_1160118

Creator:

Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden  Search this

Type:

YouTube Videos

Uploaded:

2020-05-06T15:10:55.000Z

YouTube Category:

Education  Search this

Topic:

Art, modern  Search this

See more by:

hirshhornmuseum

Data Source:

Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden

YouTube Channel:

hirshhornmuseum

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:yt_v0j9tahblMk

Creator:

Lockwood Greene Engineers, Incorporated  Search this

Lockwood-Greene Company  Search this

Whitman, David  Search this

Greene, Stephen  Search this

Lockwood, Amos  Search this

Former owner:

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

Extent:

270 Cubic feet (233 boxes, 850 oversize folders)

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Linen tracings

Paper flimsies

Business records

Design drawings

Blueprints

Patents

Specifications

Reports

Photograph albums

Photographs

Trade literature

Date:

1784-2004, undated

bulk 1915-1930

Summary:

The engineering firm that became Lockwood Greene was founded by David Whitman, a mill engineer, in 1832. Amos D. Lockwood, a consultant, succeeded Whitman and entered a partnership with Stephen Greene in 1882. The firm specialized in industrial engineering and construction; they designed and built a wide variety of structures and work environments worldwide over the next century. Lockwood Greene was acquired by CH2M HILL in December, 2003. Before its acquisition by CH2MHILL it was reportedly the oldest industrial engineering, construction, and professional services firm in the United States.

Scope and Contents:

The Lockwood Greene records are a comprehensive range of documents related to the appraisal, building, construction, design, evaluation, and engineering of facilities for a variety of clients. The material covers the entire period of industrialization of the United States, and, provides a thorough record of the textile industry, both in New England and the South. Some of the textile mills are documented with unusual completeness, showing water and steam power layouts, factory village plans, and landscaping schedules. A broad range of other building typologies is also covered, including projects with public or retail functions, such as early automobile showrooms, hospitals, apartments and private dwellings, churches, and schools.

In-depth study of the company's earliest history is hampered by a scarcity of records, many of which were lost in the great fire that destroyed Boston's city center in 1872. Nevertheless, graphic and textual evidence does exist within the collection that illuminates these early projects, in addition to the fabric of surviving buildings. The Lockwood Greene records document several commissions that the firm would return to again and again over the course of many decades as clients requested plant additions, upgrades to mechanical and operating systems, and other substantive changes. Researchers are encouraged to examine the blueprints, elevations, and plans for these later additions in order to find illustrations of the firm's earlier interventions at the site. In addition to drawings, other visual evidence for nineteenth-century projects can be found in the company's extensive photo files, which often document structures for which drawings do not exist.

The Lockwood Greene records contain an abundance of graphic and textual evidence for structures designed after 1910 until the 1930s. After this period, visual documentation becomes much more limited. This is partially due to the evolution of drafting tools and information management technologies within the architecture and engineering profession. Lockwood Greene was an early adopter of technological innovations in rendering and data capture, beginning with the introduction of aperture cards and microfilm and extending to the adoption of computer-aided design (CAD) programs. These more modern formats were not part of the acquisition, and, at the time of writing, still reside with the company.

The Lockwood-Greene collection will be of interest to historians of architecture and engineering, as well as those that study the history of business and labor relations. It provides extensive textual and documentary evidence on the evolution and growth of American engineering and the increasing professionalization of the discipline through specialization during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Rich holdings of architectural drawings, photographs, and specifications provide unparalleled resources that trace the evolution of industrial buildings and their typologies; experimentation with building materials and systems, particularly with regards to fireproofing; and the history of textile manufacture in the United States. In addition, there is also rich visual and documentary evidence of the changing relationships between corporations and their employees through photographs, plans, and designs for company towns and mill villages, as well as through corporate records that illustrate the work culture of Lockwood Greene itself. The Lockwood-Greene collection will be of special interest to historic preservationists as the awareness of the significance of industrial and vernacular buildings continues to grow, and detailed design drawings and other visual material will be of especial value for restoration, rehabilitation, and adaptive-reuse projects.

Arrangement:

The collection is divided into six series.

Series 1, Project Drawings, Renderings, and Plans, 1784-1969, undated

Series 2, Photographs and Slides, 1881-2001, undated

Subseries 2.1: Photo Albums, 1906-1934

Subseries 2.2: Photographic Files, 1881-1956

Subseries 2.3: Spartanburg Office Photographic File, 1948-1974

Subseries 2.4: Spartanburg Office Photographic File, 1919-1999

Subseries 2.5: Project Negatives and Transparencies, 1956-1970

Subseries 2.6: Project Slides and Transparencies, 1985-2001

Subseries 2.7: Project Slides and Transparencies, Culls, 1974-2001

Subseries 2.8: Project Slides and Transparencies, Corporate Photography, 1976-1998

Subseries 2.9: Photograph Album Covers, 1920, undated

Series 3: Job Files, 1872-1957, undated

Subseries 3.1, Specifications, 1913-1942, undated

Subseries 3.2: List of Drawings, 1872-1951, undated

Subseries 3.3: Project Files, 1919-1969, undated

Subseries 3.4: Reports, 1913-1969

Subseries 3.5: Job Cost Records, 1913-1957, undated

Series 4, Corporate Records and History, 1881-2004, undated

Subseries 4.1: Meeting Minutes, 1913-1995

Subseries 4.2: Corporate Files, 1891-2004, undated

Subseries 4.3: Historical Research and Reference Files and Photographs, 1881-1983, undated

Subseries 4.4: Corporate Publications, 1917-2001, undated

Series 5, Non-Lockwood Greene Publications, 1910-1984, undated

Series 6, Audio-Visual, 1964

Biographical / Historical:

Lockwood Greene, one of the nation's oldest engineering firms, traces it roots to 1832, when Rhode Island native David Whitman began a machinery repair service. Riding the wave of the early industrial revolution in textile manufacturing, Whitman added mill design services to his repertoire, which formed the backbone of a flourishing consulting business for the rest of the century. Whitman was one of the first itinerant mill engineers or "doctors" that traveled throughout New England advising various industrialists on the placement, design, and construction of their factories and the layout of the complicated system of machinery and shafting that they contained. His largest commission was the design of the Bates Manufacturing Company complex in Lewiston, Maine, which was incorporated in 1850 and soon became one of the largest textile producers in New England.

Upon Whitman's death in 1858, his unfinished work was assumed by Amos D. Lockwood, a prominent mill agent and astute businessman who had built a name for himself in Connecticut and Rhode Island. The successful completion of the projects at Lewiston brought enough additional demand for Lockwood's services to prompt him to relocate to Boston, where he formally opened an independent consulting office with partner John W. Danielson in 1871. For the next ten years, A.D. Lockwood & Company was involved in a least eight major mill design projects, half of which were for new construction. One of these projects, the design and construction of the Piedmont Manufacturing Company in Greenville (now Piedmont), South Carolina was especially significant and is considered to be a prototype for the Southern textile industry.

In 1882, Lockwood established a new business, Lockwood, Greene and Company, with Stephen Greene, a professionally-trained civil engineer who had joined the firm in 1879. As the firm grew, it expanded its scope as consultants supplying all of the necessary architectural and engineering services a prospective owner needed to initiate, equip, and run a complete plant. Acting as the owners' representative, the company supervised construction and installation but did not directly act as builders or contractors. Lockwood

Greene's objective expertise was legendary and made it a leader in this emergent field. As Samuel B. Lincoln explains in his history of the company:

"The new firm's knowledge and experience in the textile industry enabled it to analyze samples of cloth and, from such samples, to provide everything necessary for a completed plant to make such goods in any desired quantity. It did not at any time act as selling agents for machinery or equipment, neither did it accept commissions or rebates from suppliers: by this policy it maintained a position as impartial and independent engineer." (pages 105-107)

Greene became president of the company upon Lockwood's death in 1884. Under his leadership, the company expanded into additional industries and designed an array of other industrial building types that would prefigure the diversity of later work. In 1893, the company revolutionized American industry by designing and constructing the first factory whose operating power was provided entirely over electric wires from a remote power plant, rather than relying upon a water source or a stockpiled fuel supply. The Columbia Mills project created a great deal of publicity for the firm and was a signal to other manufacturers that there were viable alternatives to the use of steam power.

As changing economic conditions led Lockwood Greene to move away from its traditional reliance upon the textile manufacturing industry, it was very successful at soliciting projects for a wide variety of structures, from newspaper plants and automotive factories to convention halls and schools. After 1900, Lockwood Greene expanded its operations and opened branch offices in other cities, including Chicago, New York, Philadelphia, Cleveland, Detroit, Atlanta, and Charlotte. In 1915, Edwin F. Greene, president and son of Stephen Greene, reorganized the firm as Lockwood, Greene & Company, Incorporated This new entity served as the parent company and controlled three subsidiaries: one to own and operate cotton mills that Greene had acquired; one to manage other companies' textile mills; and one to provide engineering services.

Lockwood Greene expanded its operations tremendously as the textile industry boomed under wartime demand and in the years following. The severe textile depression from 1923 to 1928 caused the collapse of this structure, however, as Lockwood Greene continued to suffer deep losses in the textile mills that it owned. The parent company was dissolved in 1928 and the engineering subsidiary, which had remained profitable, was salvaged as Lockwood Greene Engineers, Incorporated.

After a rocky start with the onset of the Depression, the company began to prosper during the Second World War and its growth continued steadily throughout the next several decades. In the late 1960s, as a result of declining business, the company's headquarters was transferred from Boston to Spartanburg, South Carolina. In 1981, Phillipp Holtzman USA, a subsidiary of Phillipp Holtzman AG of Frankfurt, Germany, acquired a majority interest in Lockwood Greene. In 2003, CH2M Hill, a global provider of engineering, construction, and operations services based in Denver, Colorado, acquired the company.

From its beginnings under David Whitman, Lockwood Greene has become one of the most diversified engineering firms in the United States. The firm is best known as a designer of industrial and institutional buildings, but the company has become a leader in many additional areas in recent years. Lockwood Greene dominates the market in the design and production of the germ- and dust-free "clean room" facilities required by the pharmaceutical industry and micro-electronics manufacturers. The company has also developed expertise in designing integrated security and networking systems for industrial plants, international port facilities, and military installations worldwide.

Banham, Raynor. A Concrete Atlantis: U.S. Industrial Building and European Modern Architecture, 1900-1925. Cambridge: MIT Press, 1986.

Biggs, Lindy. The Rational Factory: Architecture, Technology, and Work in America's Age of Mass Production. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 1996.

Bradley, Betsy Hunter. The Works: The Industrial Architecture of the United States. New York: Oxford University Press, 1999.

Greene, Benjamin Allen. Stephen Greene: Memories of His Life, with Addresses, Resolutions and Other Tributes of Affection. Chicago, R. R. Donnelley & Sons Company, 1903.

Heiser, William J. Lockwood Greene, 1958-1968, Another Period in the History of an Engineering Business. Lockwood Greene Engineers, Incorporated, 1970.

Lincoln, Samuel B. Lockwood Greene: The History of an Engineering Business, 1832-1958. Brattleboro, Vermont: The Stephen Greene Press, 1960.

Lockwood Greene Engineers, Incorporated The Lockwood Greene Story: One-Hundred-Fifty Years of Engineering Progress. Spartanburg, South Carolina: Lockwood Greene Engineers, Incorporated; undated.

Related Materials:

Materials at the Smithsonian Instituion Libraries

"[Trade catalogs from Lockwood, Greene & Co.]", Trade Literature at the American History Museum Books, Smithsonian Institution Libraries

Provenance:

This collection was donated by Lockwood Greene, Spartanburg, South Carolina, 1997 (original drawings). An addendum to the collection was donated by CH2M HILL in 2007.

Restrictions:

The collection is open for research use. One film is tored at an off-site facility and special arrangements must be made to work with it. Researchers must handle unprotected photographs with gloves. Researchers must use reference copies of audio-visual materials. When no reference copy exists, the Archives Center staff will produce reference copies on an "as needed" basis, as resources allow. 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:

Architects  Search this

Architecture, Commercial  Search this

Architecture, Domestic  Search this

Building materials  Search this

Buildings  Search this

Construction industry  Search this

Company towns  Search this

Textile mills  Search this

Mills  Search this

Manufacturing industries  Search this

Industrial engineering  Search this

Industrial buildings -- Design and construction  Search this

Industrial buildings  Search this

Engineering  Search this

Factories -- Power supply  Search this

Factories -- Design and construction  Search this

Factories  Search this

Cotton textile industry  Search this

Commercial buildings  Search this

Electric power production  Search this

Genre/Form:

Linen tracings

Paper flimsies

Business records

Design drawings

Blueprints

Patents

Specifications

Reports

Photograph albums

Photographs -- 21st century

Photographs -- 20th century

Trade literature

Photographs -- 1890-1900

Citation:

Lockwood Greene Records, Archives Center, National Museum of American History

Sponsor:

Preservation of this collection was made possible in part by a generous gift from CH2M HILL.

Identifier:

NMAH.AC.1113

See more items in:

Lockwood-Greene Records

Archival Repository:

Archives Center, National Museum of American History

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ep85090342a-0c7e-4667-8b37-fa0e8309b5ac

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-nmah-ac-1113

Inventor:

Del Mar, Bruce E., 1913-  Search this

Former owner:

Del Mar Avionics Corporation  Search this

Extent:

3 Cubic feet (8 boxes)

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Correspondence

Date:

1951-2011

Summary:

Collection documents the development of the Holter Monitor, a portable device for continuously monitoring heart activity for an extended period, through engineering logbooks, drawings, operator manuals, correspondence, photographs, sales brochures and catalogs, biographical information about the engineering staff who worked on the monitor, patents and trademarks, and marketing and sales materials.

Scope and Contents:

The collection includes engineering logbooks, drawings, operator manuals, correspondence, photographs, sales brochures and catalogs, biographical information about the engineering staff who worked on the monitor, patents and trademarks, and marketing and sales materials documenting the development of the Holter Monitor, a portable device for continuously monitoring heart activity.

The records document the successful collaboration of an independent inventor and a manufacturing firm to identify problems, develop solutions and bring to market diagnostic technologies. Bruce Del Mar's role as an innovator and collaborator with Holter is especially important, because Del Mar's work spurred the development of an entire diagnostic industry. In addition, the records also chronicle how "Holter technology" was affected by progressive technological innovations in the industry, as vacuum tubes were replaced by transistors, as microprocessors gave way to microchips and circuit boards, and as analog recordings were replaced by digital formats.

Documenting manufacturing developments (highs and lows) and marketing considerations is an important element in better understanding the invention process. Del Mar Avionics was the first to design and manufacture instrumentation for long-term monitoring of the human heart for the medical profession. Today, Holter Monitors continue to be an important diagnostic tool for monitoring the health of the heart.

Series 1, Historical Background, 1951-2010 and undated, consists of biographical materials for Bruce Del Mar, founder of Del Mar Avionics, company histories, copies of the Del Mar Avionics newsletter Pacemaker, employee information, newspaper clippings and ephemera, and photographs of some employees. The employee information contains a 1979 handbook, explaining company policies and the benefits of employment with Del Mar Avionics and a 1951 memo detailing overtime working hours for women, presumably from Douglas Aircraft, where Bruce Del Mar was employed.

Series 2, Del Mar Avionics Engineering, 1958-1976, is divided into three subseries, Subseries 1, Correspondence, 1965-1976; Subseries 2, Reports, 1964-1969; and Subseries 3, Drawings, 1958-1968. The documentation consists primarily of correspondence from the engineering department, 1965 to 1976, related to the development, design, budgeting, testing, and marketing of the Holter Monitor. The majority of the documentation is correspondence and is written by engineering staff members, but also included are quotation requests, trip reports, and technical reports. Correspondence between Holter and Del Mar about the development of the Holter Minotor is in Series 6. The drawings, 1958-1968, include six drawings (22" x 34" or smaller) for Avionics Research Products projects (panel assembly, chassis assembly, and battery chargers for model 602), and Electromation Company (degausser single coil).

Series 3, Patents and Trademarks, 1965-2002 and undated, consists of copies of patents by Norman J. Holter, W.E. Mills, and W.E. Thornton, Cliff Sanctuary. and Isaac Raymond Cherry related to the development of the Holter Monitor. Also included are lists of United States patents issued to Del Mar Avionics employees, as well as lists of registered trademarks and activities for Del Mar Avionics and copies of trademarks issued to the company.

Series 4, Product Literature, 1968-2010 and undated, consists of product literature for Del Mar Avionics products and some of its competitors. The product literature for Del Mar Avionics is arranged chronologically by model number, and the competitor literature is arranged alphabetically. All of the product literature is related to medical instrumentation with the exception of the Hydra Set, a precision load positioner which is the only product Del Mar Avionics sells today.

Series 5, Sales, 1967-1985, consists of price lists, price catalogs (both domestic and international) and sales objectives for medical instrumentation sold by Del Mar Avionics.

Series 6, Holter Monitor Materials, 1958-2005 and undated, is divided into three subseries, Subseries 1, Background Materials, 1958-2005 and undated; Subseries 2, Model 445, 1974-1978; and Subseries 3, Model 660, 1967-1978 and undated, and consists of materials documenting the relationship between Norman J. Holter, an inventor, and Del Mar Avionics.

Holter and Wilford R. Glassock were issued United States Patent 3,215,136 on November 2, 1965 for the Electrocardiographic Means. Dr. Eliot Corday introduced Holter to Bruce Del Mar, founder of the Del Mar Avionics Corporation in Irvine, California. Del Mar engineers developed the "electrocardiocorder" for clinical use, producing a commercially viable monitor which came to be known as the Holter Monitor Test. Further refinements led to the creation of a "minimonitor" in 1968 which was described by Holter as being the "size of a cigarette package." Commercial production of the Holter minimonitor, AVSEP, Jr., began in 1969. The Holter Research Foundation ultimately sold exclusive rights to their patents to Del Mar Engineering Laboratories.

The materials include biographical materials about Norman J. Holter, journal articles about the Holter Monitor, correspondence, engineering notebooks, a licensing agreement, product literature, reports, price lists, catalogs, operating manuals and specific information about the Dynamic Del Mar Avionics ElectroCardioCorder (Model 445), 1977, and the ElectroCardioScanner (Model 660), 1971. Both models were developed by Del Mar's medical device manufacturing staff. The licensing agreement and correspondence detail in chronological order the relationship between Norman Holter and Del Mar Avionics, specifically president Bruce Del Mar, in the rapid commercial marketing and development of Holter's electrocardiorecorder. Although Holter assigned exclusive rights to his patent to Del Mar Avionics, he was involved in the design and development process, albeit from a distance. The engineering staff at Del Mar kept Holter informed, and it is clear that Holter regularly visited the company.

The engineering notebooks relate to the models 445 and 660. The notebooks were maintained by engineering staff members D. Anderson, N. Mohammedi, Ray Cherry and Fike. The notebooks are handwritten, although in some instances memos and other information have been inserted. For example, N. Mohammedi's notebook documenting Model 445 contains black-and-white prints, magnetic tape samples, and recorder tape (EKG graph paper) samples with data from the monitor. The notebooks are bound and paginated, and individual pages are stamped sequentially.

Series 7, Slides, circa 1990s, consists of color slides used for presentations by Del Mar Avionics staff to discuss and promote the marketing of the Holter Monitor.

Arrangement:

The collection is arranged into seven series.

Series 1, Historical Background, 1951-2010 and undated

Series 2, Del Mar Avionics Engineering, 1958-1976

Subseries 1, Correspondence, 1965-1976

Subseries 2, Reports, 1964-1969

Subseries 3, Drawings, 1958-1968

Series 3, Patents and Trademarks, 1965-2002 and undated

Series 4, Product Literature, 1968-2010 and undated

Subseries 1, Del Mar Avionics, 1968-2010 and undated

Subseries 2, Competitors, 1974 and undated

Series 5, Sales, 1967-1985

Series 6, Holter Monitor Materials, 1958-2005

Subseries 1, Background Materials, 1958-2005

Subseries 2, Model 445, 1974-1978

Subseries 3, Model 660, 1967-1978 and undated

Series 7, Slides, circa 1990s

Biographical / Historical:

Norman Jefferis "Jeff" Holter (1914-1983) was born in Helena, Montana, to a prominent Montana pioneering family. After attending public schools in Helena, he earned master's degrees in chemistry from the University of Southern California (1938) and physics from the University of California, Los Angeles (1940). During these years Holter also organized Applied Micro Sciences, a scientific photography business, and began working with Dr. Joseph A. Gengerelli of UCLA on nerve stimulation in frogs and brain stimulation in rats. Holter's interest in studying electrical activity in humans in their daily activities without touching them, spawned his lifelong pursuit to develop the Holter Monitor.

During World War Two, Holter served as a senior physicist for the U.S. Navy's Bureau of Ships, conducting research into the behavior of ocean waves in preparation for wartime amphibious operations. After the war, in 1946, Holter headed a staff of oceanographic engineers at Bikini Atoll during Operation Crossroads, the first postwar atomic bomb tests, measuring wave actions and underwater disturbances caused by the explosions.

Because of demands of his family's business affairs, Holter returned to Helena in 1947 to continue his research activities. In 1947 he formed the Holter Research Foundation, with a laboratory originally located in the rear of the Holter Hardware Company building. From 1956 to 1971 the laboratory facilities were located in the Great Northern Railroad depot building in Helena. The foundation was initially funded by Holter and other members of his family, but in 1952 Holter began to receive grants from the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

Holter continued his collaboration with Dr. Gengerelli of UCLA in attempting to transmit information, primarily brain waves, by radio. Holter turned his attention from the brain to the heart because the heart's greater voltage made the electronics easier, and because heart disease was far more prevalent than cerebral disease. Holter's introduction to Dr. Paul Dudley White (1886-1973), a renowned physician and cardiologist, helped convince him to focus his research on recording electrical activity from the heart. Holter's goal was to radio broadcast and record the more obvious electrophysiological phenomena occurring in humans while carrying on their normal activities, rather than having to lie quietly on a couch.

The first broadcast of a radioelectrocardiogram (RECG) took place circa 1947 and required eighty to eighty-five pounds of equipment, which Holter worn on his back while riding a stationary bicycle. This was not practical and in no way could be worn by a patient. The initial transmitter and receiver required that the subject remain in the general area of the laboratory, so a portable and lighter RECG receiver-recorder had to be developed.

Next, Holter created a briefcase-like device that could be carried by a patient. By using very thin magnetic recording tape, twenty-four hours of RECG could be captured on a reel five inches in diameter. The initial method of examining the voluminous records from the tape recordings developed by Holter was called Audio-Visual Superimposed ECG Presentation (AVSEP). AVSEP made it possible to examine twenty-four hours of RECGs in twenty minutes, with signals being presented visually on an oscilloscope and audibly through a speaker.

With the development of transistors, radioelectrocardiography was made obsolete, and it became possible for the amplifier, tape recorder, temperature-control circuits, motor speed control circuits, and batteries to be placed in a single unit small enough for a coat pocket or purse. In 1952, Holter succeeded in creating a small unit that weighed 1 kilogram. Wilford R. Glassock, a senior engineer working with Holter, traveled to Cedars of Lebanon Hospital (now Cedars-Sinai Hospital of Los Angeles) in 1962 to demonstrate the Holter monitor system and discuss making it more practical. At Cedars, Dr. Eliot Corday observed the practicality of the system and not only embraced the technology, but collaborated with Holter's team and was an early promoter of the technology to both industry and physicians. Holter and Glassock were issued US Patent 3,215,136 on November 2, 1965 for the Electrocardiographic Means.

As articles describing the foundation's invention of these devices began to appear in the professional literature, there was considerable demand from doctors and hospitals for the equipment. Dr. Corday introduced Holter to Bruce Del Mar, founder of the Del Mar Avionics Corporation in Irvine, California. Del Mar engineers developed the "electrocardiocorder" for clinical use, producing a commercially viable monitor which came to be known as the Holter Monitor Test. Further refinements led to the creation of a "minimonitor" in 1968, which was described by Holter as being the "size of a cigarette package." Commercial production of the Holter minimonitor, AVSEP, Jr., began in 1969. The Holter Research Foundation ultimately sold exclusive rights to their patents to Del Mar Engineering Laboratories.

Later known as Del Mar Avionics, a team of engineers diverted their attention from successful manufacturing of military weapons training devices to focus on improving the speed and accuracy of computerized ECG analysis and they became the acknowledged leader in Holter monitoring technology for over 40 years. In 1969, because of the increased amount of required paper work and red tape, Holter canceled the grant funding his foundation had been receiving from NIH. He was also in constant conflict with the Internal Revenue Service over the foundation's non-profit status, rights to patents, and commercial production of equipment. The foundation continued to maintain a laboratory and conduct varied scientific work, but on a much smaller scale. The Holter Research Foundation, Inc. was dissolved in 1985, two years after Holter's death.

Del Mar Avionics was founded on January 9, 1952, as Del Mar Engineering Laboratories in Los Angeles, California by Bruce Del Mar, who led the development of aircraft cabin pressurization systems. Del Mar was born in Pasadena, California in 1913. An engineer, inventor, entrepreneur and businessman, Del Mar graduated from the University of California, Berkeley (1937) with a Bachelor of Science degree. Del Mar worked for Douglas Aircraft (1933-1951) as a research engineer on many projects before founding Del Mar Engineering Laboratories. In 1938, Del Mar married Mary Van Ness. The couple had two daughters, Patrica Jean Parsons and Marna Belle Schnabel.

In 1958, Del Mar formed a wholly-owned subsidiary, Electromation Inc., which manufactured tape recording and communication equipment. He later established, Aeroplastics Corporation to manufacture plastic products and Avionics Research Products Corporation to develop and produce biomedical instrumentation. By the mid-1960s, the company had become a leading U.S. Defense Department prime contractor in the development and production of aerial tow target systems for weapons training and instrumented ground targets for scoring air-to-ground automatic weapons delivery. It also produced helicopter target drones and helicopter flight trainers for the U.S. Army.

In 1961, the company entered the growing medical instrumentation market with the development of the first long-term ambulatory monitoring systems.

In 1965, the company introduced the Hydra Set Load Positioner that controls the precise vertical positioning of loads up to 300 tons (272,000 kg) in increments as small as 0.001 inch (0.025mm). This unique product, mounted between the load and the crane (or hoist), permits precise mating and de-mating of critical components, thus eliminating unforeseen damage to valuable loads. Hydra Set Load Positioners are in use worldwide in the aerospace, military/commercial aviation, nuclear and fossil fuel power generating industries and in various industrial applications. In 1975, the company, then re-named Del Mar Avionics, moved to its current location in Irvine, California.

Related Materials:

Materials in the Archives Center

Project Bionics Artificial Organ Documentation Collection [videotapes], 2002 (AC0841) documents the invention and development of artificial internal organs through oral history interviews with scientists and others involved.

The James A. E. Halkett and Sigmund A. Wesolowski, M.D., Papers, 1948-1951 (AC0200) documents Halkett and Wesolowski's experiments on an early mechanical heart. Halkett and Wesolow(ski) materials show the process of technological innovation through laboratory protocols.

The George Edward Burch Papers, 1984-1986 (AC0316) documents Burch's pioneering work in clinical cardiology and research through technical notes, diagrams, and correspondence regarding laboratory work on the "2-pump heart model," 1984-1986.

Wilson Greatbatch Innovative Lives Presentation, 1996 (AC0601) documents the invention of the implantable cardiac pacemaker in 1958.

The Ronald J. Leonard Papers, circa 1980-1997 (AC1109) documents Leonard's development of pumps and oxygenators used in cardio-pulmonary bypass surgery.

Materials in the Division of Medicine and Science, National Museum of American History

The Division of Medicine and Science (now Division of Medicine and Science) holds two monitors: the Dynamic and the Del Mar Avionics ElectroCardioCorder (Model 445), 1977 and the ElectroCardioScanner (Model 660), 1971. Both were developed by Del Mar's Medical Device Manufacturing staff. See accession #: 2011.0196.

Materials at the Montana Historical Society Research Center, Archives

Holter Family papers, 1861-1968

Includes documentation about the Holter Research Foundation, Inc.

Holter Research Foundation, Inc. records, 1914-1985

The Holter Research Foundation, Inc. was a private, non-profit, scientific research foundation started in Helena, Montana, in 1947 by Norman J. "Jeff" Holter. Records (1914-1985) include correspondence, financial records, laboratory records, subject files, photographs, etc. Also included are subgroups for N.J. Holter; his work in the U.S. Navy on bombs and waves; his work as assistant chancellor at University of California, San Diego; and the Society of Nuclear Medicine.

Provenance:

The collection was donated by Del Mar Avionics through Bruce Del Mar, President on September 12, 2011.

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 intellectual property rights. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.

Topic:

Medical innovations  Search this

Patents  Search this

Medical instruments and apparatus  Search this

Genre/Form:

Correspondence

Citation:

Del Mar Avionics Holter Monitor Records, dates, Archives Center, National Museum of American History

Identifier:

NMAH.AC.1249

See more items in:

Del Mar Avionics Holter Monitor Records

Archival Repository:

Archives Center, National Museum of American History

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ep817067f09-60ab-459a-919f-0ef2a3d6da5b

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-nmah-ac-1249

Interviewer:

Shayt, David H.  Search this

Creator:

Wedge Innovations  Search this

Extent:

13 Cubic feet (28 boxes, 5 map folders)

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Videotapes

Notebooks

Oral histories (document genres)

Audiotapes

Financial records

Financial statements

Interviews

Correspondence

Photographs

Drawings

Advertisements

Black-and-white photographic prints

Date:

1985-1996

Summary:

The records of Wedge Innovations document the invention and development of a new hand tool, the SmartLevel, an electronic builder's level; also included are company management and policies.

Scope and Contents:

The SmartLevel story gives excellent insight into the life cycle of a small Silicon valley start-up in the 1980s. SmartLevel's creator, Wedge Innovations, established a market for a new product, achieved national distribution, off-shore manufacturing, and product licensing, before going out of business due to pressure from profit-hungry venture capitalists.

The records of Wedge Innovations is a "tool biography" that documents the invention and development of a new hand tool, the SmartLevel, an electronic builder's level first conceived in 1985 by Andrew Butler. The SmartLevel Collection is divided into seven series: Corporate Records, Engineering Records, Financial Records, Marketing Records, Operations Records, Product Development Records, and Corporate Culture, reflecting both the organizational structure of Wedge Innovations and the company's working environment.

Series 1, Corporate Records, 1985-1993, address the overall management of Wedge Innovations and document its policies, especially through the company's annual business plans, 1986-1992, and the monthly reports prepared for the Board of Directors' meetings, 1989-1992. This series also details the workings of each department through weekly departmental reports. The staff meetings files, July-November 1989, February 1990-November 1992, are particularly useful for understanding the day-to-day operation of the company.

Series 2, Engineering Records, 1985-1993, document the design and development of the SmartLevel from its conception in 1985 as the WedgeLevel, through its production as the SmartLevel in 1989, and through its refinement into the Pro SmartLevel and the Series 200 SmartLevel in 1991. The design process is particularly well documented through Andrew Butler's and Kevin Reeder's design notebooks and through the detailed technical drawings done by Butler, Reeder, and Ronald Wisnia. Also well documented are the efforts made to solve the many problems associated with the development and quality control of the electronic sensor module that was the heart of the SmartLevel.

Series 3, Financial Records, 1985-1992, include Wedge's summary financial statements from 1985 to 1992.

Series 4, Marketing Records, 1986-1992, document customer and dealer relations through marketing department correspondence, operational records, and advertising campaigns. This series is particularly rich in promotional material (1988-1992), such as advertisements, advertising copy, photographs, product promotion plans, and videotapes that demonstrate the varied features and uses of the products.

Series 5, Operations Records, 1990-1993, document the manufacturing process and the Company's offshore operations.

Series 6, Product Development Records, 1986-1993, document the company's intended development of an entire "Smart Tools" line.

Series 7, Corporate Culture, 1985-1996, contains employee photographs and oral history interviews with key Wedge personnel conducted in 1995 and 1996 by David Shayt, Division of Work and Industry, National Museum of American History. The interviews discuss the background of the participants, the company's origins and history, product development, the Silicon Valley context, and the efforts of Wedge Innovations successor firm, SmartTool Technologies.

Arrangement:

The collection organized into seven series.

Series 1, Corporate Records, 1985-1993

Series 2, Engineering Records, 1985-1993

Series 3, Financial Records, 1985-1992

Series 4, Marketing Records, 1986-1992

Series 5, Operations Records, 1990-1993

Series 6, Product Development Records, 1986-1993

Series 7, Corporate Culture, 1985-1996

Biographical / Historical:

Andrew G. Butler (b. 1955), the founder of Wedge Innovations exhibited an interest in building construction and an entrepreneurial spirit early in life. From age 12 to 17 he built a boat that he then sailed alone from California to Tahiti, where he spent several years as an independent carpenter and building contractor. After returning to the United States, he earned a B.S. degree in electromechanical engineering from Stanford University (1983) and became a software specialist for Bechtel Construction. In 1985, he conceived of an idea for an electronic carpenter's level that could read a range of angles. Butler formed Wedge Innovations in 1986. He worked in the basement of his home in order to develop and market this level, selling his boat to finance the venture. He hired Marilyn Crowell as his secretary and Robert Nagle and Dan Kellogg as engineers. This company developed the sensor technology and software necessary to build the company's first product, the WedgeLevel. The heart of this tool was an electronic sensor circuit connected to a microprocessor capable of measuring the tool's orientation. This sensor module fit into an ergonomically-designed teak rail with anodized aluminum edges jointly developed by Butler, engineering design consultant Kevin Reeder, and engineer Ronald Wisnia.

In 1987, Wedge moved to Santa Clara to begin manufacturing the WedgeLevel. The transition from a research and development concern to a manufacturing company proved difficult, due to manufacturing and financial difficulties. It was difficult to obtain a reliable yet inexpensive source of teak for the rails, designs for a plastic composite and aluminum rail were developed, while offshore manufacturing of the sensor components was established. Overarching all concerns was the persistent difficulty of obtaining sufficient investment capital. While managing his growing company, Butler also began planning for a line of hand tools that combined microelectronics and user-oriented, ergonomic design. In 1988, the company changed the name of its product to SmartLevel in order to emphasize the company's proposed line of Smart Tools. That same year, the company adopted a new corporate logo, a stylized W with a red wedge, signaling its growing maturity. Promotion of the product also began through demonstrations of the prototype done by consultant building contractor, Rick Feffer.

In January 1989, the SmartLevel prototype was launched at the National Association of Home Builders Show in Atlanta, Georgia. The favorable publicity generated by this launch and by the company's media campaign generated many orders. To supply these orders, Wedge moved to larger quarters in Sunnyvale on April 1, 1989. In June 1989, Wedge gained further publicity by donating several SmartLevels to a Habitat for Humanity project in Milwaukee, where former president Jimmy Carter used one. Although Wedge expected to ship the first SmartLevels in July 1989, there were considerable delays in manufacturing. In particular, there were stability and performance problems with the sensor, which engineer Ken Gunderson was brought in to remedy. The sensor module was re-engineered to be more rugged and the level was redesigned with a plastic composite and aluminum rail. The new level, known as the Pro SmartLevel, was intended for the professional construction market. The first SmartLevels were shipped on September 5, 1989.

In 1990, patents were granted to Andrew Butler, Donald G. Green, and Robert E. Nagle for an inclinometer sensor circuit and to Butler and Ronald Wisnia for a carpenter's level design. That same year, Brian Bayley joined Wedge as Vice-president for Engineering, and Edwin "Win" Seipp joined as Project Manager - DIY SmartLevel. Seipp's responsibility was to develop a low-cost, "do-it-yourself" version of the SmartLevel, which was eventually called the Series 200 SmartLevel. This level had an all-aluminum rail and a non-removable sensor.

In September 1990, the company moved to San Jose and by 1991 had over 60 employees. Although sales continued to grow and name recognition of the product was quite strong, Wedge had difficulty meeting the expectations of its investors. Butler entered into financial negotiations with the Macklanburg-Duncan Corporation, a large-scale manufacturer of hand tools, to seek investment in his company. These negotiations led in November 1992 to the acquisition of Wedge by Macklanburg-Duncan, which dissolved all but Wedge's engineering section. Macklanburg-Duncan today manufactures a "SmartTool" level, while Butler co-owns D2M (Design To Market), a company that develops new product ideas for the market.

SmartLevel Chronology

1992 -- Butler negotiates with Macklanburg-Duncan for a merger to save Wedge. In the midst of the negotiations, Butler is fired by his Board of Directors. Butler regains control of Wedge three months later, fires the replacement president, and sells Wedge outright to Macklanburg-Duncan, which dissolves all but the engineering functions of Wedge.

1991 -- Wedge sponsors a "New Product Development Conference," where numerous designs for new hand tools are worked on. SmartLevel sales and name recognition grows but not quickly enough to meet overhead expenses of new facility or investors' demands.

1990 -- Yet more redesign work, both in-house and with Kevin Reeder, who also develops idea for "SmartTube" carrying case (not built). Patents granted to Andy Butler et al. for inclinometer sensor circuit and carpenter's level design. Wedge hires Brian Bayley as vice-president for engineering to develop a low-cost model of the SmartLevel. The all-aluminum Series 200 SmartLevel is born. Wedge moves to larger facilities in San Jose.

1989 -- SmartLevel launched at National Association of Home Builders show in January. Good press coverage, but cannot meet orders. More publicity from Habitat for Humanity project when former President Jimmy Carter uses a SmartLevel. But stability and performance problems plague sensor. More redesign work results in more rugged Pro SmartLevel. The first SmartLevels shipped on September 5, 1989.

1987-1988 -- Wedge moves to Santa Clara; intends to begin manufacturing and todevelop an entire line of "Smart Tools" but encounters financial and engineering difficulties; Wedge consults with independent design engineer, Kevin Reeder, on level design. Intensive redesign effort develops the SmartLevel, made of plastic and aluminum rail.

1986 -- Wedge Innovations founded in the basement of Butler's house; basic sensor design worked out; teak & aluminum WedgeLevel developed.

1985 -- Idea for electronic carpenter's level formulated by Andy Butler.

Related Materials:

Materials at the National Museum of American History

The Division of Work and Industry, National Museum of American History contains artifacts related to the SmartLevel Collection. These include five SmartLevels (Accession #1991.0823; 1996.0284; 1996.0285; 1996.0288; and 1996.0289). They are an original teak WedgeLevel, a Pro SmartLevel, a Series 200 SmartLevel, a Bosch version of the SmartLevel, and a Macklanburg-Duncan SmartTool level. There are also four sensor modules (torpedo levels), two sensors, two carrying cases, one cap, one tee shirt, and one wooden puzzle with the inscription "The World Isn't Just Level and Plumb."

Provenance:

The collection was donated by Andrew Butler, SmartLevel inventor and company founder, Brian Bayley, Vice-President for engineering at Wedge Innovations from 1989-1992, and Kevin Reeder, an independent industrial designer, 1995-1997.

Restrictions:

The collection is open for research use.

Rights:

Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning intellectual property rights. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.

Topic:

Product demonstrations -- 1980-2000  Search this

Technological innovations -- Hand tools -- 1980-2000  Search this

Electronics -- Tools and implements -- 1980-2000  Search this

Industrial design -- 1980-2000  Search this

Leveling -- 1980-2000  Search this

Teak -- Use of -- 1980-2000  Search this

Level indicators -- 1980-2000  Search this

Venture capital -- 1980-2000 -- United States  Search this

Silicon Valley -- 1980-2000  Search this

Tools -- 1980-2000 -- United States  Search this

Small business -- Management -- 1980-2000  Search this

Investors -- 1980-2000  Search this

Inventors -- 1980-2000  Search this

Engineers -- 1980-2000  Search this

Industrial designers -- 1980-2000  Search this

advertising -- Tools -- 1980-2000  Search this

Carpenters -- 1980-2000  Search this

Carpentry -- Tools -- 1980-2000  Search this

Merchandise displays  Search this

Genre/Form:

Videotapes

Notebooks -- 1980-2000

Oral histories (document genres) -- 1990-2000

Audiotapes

Financial records -- 1980-2000

Financial statements -- 1980-2000

Interviews -- 1980-2000

Correspondence -- 1970-2000

Photographs -- Black-and-white photoprints -- Silver gelatin -- 1980-2000

Drawings -- 1980-2000

Advertisements -- 1980-2000

Black-and-white photographic prints -- Silver gelatin -- 1950-2000

Citation:

The Records of Wedge Innovations, 1985-1996, Archives Center, National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution.

Identifier:

NMAH.AC.0534

See more items in:

Records of Wedge Innovations

Archival Repository:

Archives Center, National Museum of American History

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ep895b7b396-3a34-4459-9d3f-83d3003a1cf8

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-nmah-ac-0534

Creator:

Anacostia Museum  Search this

James, Portia P.  Search this

Names:

Anacostia Community Museum  Search this

Anacostia Neighborhood Museum  Search this

Baker, Henry E. (Henry Edwin), 1859-1928  Search this

Banneker, Benjamin, 1731-1806  Search this

Carver, George Washington, 1864?-1943  Search this

Davidson, Shelby J. (Shelby Jeames), 1868-1930  Search this

Forten, James, 1766-1842  Search this

Harper, Solomon, 1893-  Search this

Jennings, Thomas L.  Search this

Joyner, Marjorie Stewart, 1896-1994  Search this

Latimer, Lewis Howard, 1848-1928  Search this

Matzeliger, Jan Ernst, 1852-1889  Search this

McCoy, Elijah, 1844-1929  Search this

Montgomery, Benjamin  Search this

Morgan, Garrett A., 1877-1963  Search this

Murray, George W. (George Washington), 1853-1926  Search this

Rillieux, Norbert, 1806-1894  Search this

Temple, Lewis  Search this

Walker, C. J., Madam, 1867-1919  Search this

Woods, Granville, 1856-1910  Search this

Collection Creator:

Smithsonian Institution. Anacostia Community Museum  Search this

Extent:

1 Sound recording (open reel, 1/4 inch)

Type:

Archival materials

Sound recordings

Narration

Place:

Anacostia (Washington, D.C.)

Washington (D.C.)

United States

Date:

circa 1989

Scope and Contents:

During the audio tour of exhibition, The Real McCoy: African-American Invention and Innovation, narrator Robert Hall presents contributions made by black inventors to American technology from 1619 to 1930. Inventions and innovations by Benjamin Banneker, Elijah McCoy, Lewis Latimer, James Forten, Lewis Temple, Norbert Rillieux, Ned (slave), Benjamin Montgomery, George Washington Carver, Solomon Harper, Madame C.J. Walker, and Marjorie Joyner, among others, are highlighted. This history, challenges, and successes of patent licensing for inventions created by black inventors, including the question of patents for inventions created by slaves, are discussed.

Audio tour narration. Part of The Real McCoy: Afro-American Invention and Innovation 1619-1930 Audiovisual Materials. Undated.

Biographical / Historical:

The exhibition - The Real McCoy: African-American Invention and Innovation, 1619-1930 - focused on outstanding black inventors, as well as anonymous innovators, who, as slaves, craftsmen and workers, made important contributions to the United States. Included are actual inventions, such an Jan Matzelieger's "shoe-lasting" machine, which revolutionized shoe production, and Garrett Morgan's safety hood and automatic traffic signal, forerunners of the modern gas mask and traffic stop light. The exhibition examines such topics as African influences on Colonial technology and how the slave system stymied technological innovation. Individual inventors such as Lewis Temple, Elijah McCoy, James Forten, and Norbert Rillieux are profiled. Also featured are artifacts from some of the expositions of the late 19th-century, which celebrated this new surge of black inventiveness. The exhibition was curated by Portia James and organized by the Anacostia Museum. It was held at the museum from May 1989 - May 1990.

General:

Title transcribed from physical asset.

Series Restrictions:

Use of the materials requires an appointment. Some items are not accessible due to obsolete format and playback machinery restrictions. Please contact the archivist at acmarchives@si.edu.

Topic:

African Americans  Search this

African American women  Search this

African American inventors  Search this

Inventors  Search this

Inventions  Search this

Technology  Search this

Technological innovations  Search this

Patents  Search this

Patent laws and legislation  Search this

Enslaved persons  Search this

Slavery  Search this

Museum exhibits  Search this

Genre/Form:

Sound recordings

Narration

Citation:

The Real McCoy: Audio Tour with Robert Hall, Exhibition Records AV03-026, Anacostia Community Museum Archives, Smithsonian Institution.

Identifier:

ACMA.03-026, Item ACMA AV002680

See more items in:

The Real McCoy: Afro-American invention and innovation, 1619-1930 exhibition records

The Real McCoy: Afro-American invention and innovation, 1619-1930 exhibition records / Series ACMA AV03-026: The Real McCoy: Afro-American Invention and Innovation, 1619-1930 audiovisual records

Archival Repository:

Anacostia Community Museum Archives

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/qa746804e5f-9980-4f67-a702-5c39979397ea

EDAN-URL:

ead_component:sova-acma-03-026-ref505

Creator:

Anacostia Museum  Search this

James, Portia P.  Search this

Reinckens, Sharon A.  Search this

Smithsonian Institution  Search this

Names:

Anacostia Community Museum  Search this

Anacostia Neighborhood Museum  Search this

Matzeliger, Jan Ernst, 1852-1889  Search this

Rillieux, Norbert, 1806-1894  Search this

Temple, Lewis  Search this

Collection Creator:

Smithsonian Institution. Anacostia Community Museum  Search this

Extent:

3 Video recordings (open reel, 1 inch)

3 Video recordings (VHS)

1 Sound recording (open reel, 1/4 inch)

Type:

Archival materials

Video recordings

Sound recordings

Documentary films

Narration

Place:

Anacostia (Washington, D.C.)

Washington (D.C.)

United States

Date:

circa 1990

Scope and Contents:

The exhibition, The Real McCoy: African-American Invention and Innovation, included three short documentary films: Lewis Temple and Hunting the Whale, Jan E. Matzeliger, and Norbert Rillieux. Lewis Temple and Hunting the Whale provides an overview of early 19th century whaling industry and tools, including the toggle head harpoon invented by blacksmith Lewis Temple. The short documentary about Jan Matzeliger provides an overview of the shoe industry and shoe making, including the refining of Matzeliger's idea and success of his shoe-lasting machine. The short documentary about Norbert Rillieux covers the history of sugar production and manufacturing from early sugar processing through the development of Rillieux's sugar refining process and the installation of Rillieux's device at Theodore Packwood's Myrtle Grove Plantation. All three documentaries provide historical background of three inventors' families and life, respectively.

Short documentary films. Part of The Real McCoy: Afro-American Invention and Innovation 1619-1930 Audiovisual Materials. AV000926 includes all three short films, dated 19910606. AV003326 includes Norbert Rillieux only (film image direction is sideways), dated 19890505. AV003324: Jan E. Matzeliger, undated. AV003433: outtakes, edited voiceover narration by Portia James for Lewis Temple and Hunting the Whale, dated 19890517. AV000226: loop tape of Norbert Rillieux with captions, undated. AV000227: loop tape of Lewis Temple and Hunting the Whale with captions, dated 19920526. AV000228: loop tape of Lewis Temple and Hunting the Whale with captions, undated.

Biographical / Historical:

The exhibition - The Real McCoy: African-American Invention and Innovation, 1619-1930 - focused on outstanding black inventors, as well as anonymous innovators, who, as slaves, craftsmen and workers, made important contributions to the United States. Included are actual inventions, such an Jan Matzelieger's "shoe-lasting" machine, which revolutionized shoe production, and Garrett Morgan's safety hood and automatic traffic signal, forerunners of the modern gas mask and traffic stop light. The exhibition examines such topics as African influences on Colonial technology and how the slave system stymied technological innovation. Individual inventors such as Lewis Temple, Elijah McCoy, James Forten, and Norbert Rillieux are profiled. Also featured are artifacts from some of the expositions of the late 19th-century, which celebrated this new surge of black inventiveness. The exhibition was curated by Portia James and organized by the Anacostia Museum. It was held at the museum from May 1989 - May 1990.

Local Numbers:

ACMA AV003326

ACMA AV003324

ACMA AV003433

ACMA AV000226

ACMA AV000227

ACMA AV000228

Series Restrictions:

Use of the materials requires an appointment. Some items are not accessible due to obsolete format and playback machinery restrictions. Please contact the archivist at acmarchives@si.edu.

Topic:

African Americans  Search this

African American inventors  Search this

Inventors  Search this

Inventions  Search this

Technology  Search this

Technological innovations  Search this

Whaling  Search this

Shoe industry  Search this

Shoe machinery industry  Search this

Shoemaking  Search this

Sugar  Search this

Sugar -- Manufacture and refining  Search this

Sugar machinery  Search this

Patents  Search this

Slavery  Search this

Enslaved persons  Search this

Museum exhibits  Search this

Genre/Form:

Video recordings

Sound recordings

Documentary films

Narration

Citation:

The Real McCoy: Lewis Temple, Jan E. Matzeliger, and Norbert Rillieux, Exhibition Records AV03-026, Anacostia Community Museum Archives, Smithsonian Institution.

Identifier:

ACMA.03-026, Item ACMA AV000926

See more items in:

The Real McCoy: Afro-American invention and innovation, 1619-1930 exhibition records

The Real McCoy: Afro-American invention and innovation, 1619-1930 exhibition records / Series ACMA AV03-026: The Real McCoy: Afro-American Invention and Innovation, 1619-1930 audiovisual records

Archival Repository:

Anacostia Community Museum Archives

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/qa791d31b9c-dd46-436e-8b85-301dcd6ab575

EDAN-URL:

ead_component:sova-acma-03-026-ref506

Creator:

Anacostia Museum  Search this

James, Portia P.  Search this

Names:

Anacostia Community Museum  Search this

Anacostia Neighborhood Museum  Search this

McCoy, Elijah, 1844-1929  Search this

Rillieux, Norbert, 1806-1894  Search this

Temple, Lewis  Search this

Collection Creator:

Smithsonian Institution. Anacostia Community Museum  Search this

Extent:

1 Sound recording (audio cassette)

Type:

Archival materials

Sound recordings

Place:

Anacostia (Washington, D.C.)

Washington (D.C.)

United States

Africa, West

Date:

circa 1989

Scope and Contents:

Tour guide leads visitors through exhibition, The Real McCoy: African-American Invention and Innovation. The tour guide talks about West African influence on pottery, rice production, textiles, sugar cane production, whaling industry, agricultural devices, domestic service devices, and railroad industry in the United States. Norbert Rillieux, Lewis Temple, and Henry Bowman are profiled. The tour guide also talks about patents, the early patent office, and patent applications by blacks. Tour guide answers visitors' questions.

Tour of exhibit; audio only. Part of The Real McCoy: Afro-American Invention and Innovation 1619-1930 Audiovisual Materials. Poor audio quality. Undated.

Biographical / Historical:

The exhibition - The Real McCoy: African-American Invention and Innovation, 1619-1930 - focused on outstanding black inventors, as well as anonymous innovators, who, as slaves, craftsmen and workers, made important contributions to the United States. Included are actual inventions, such an Jan Matzelieger's "shoe-lasting" machine, which revolutionized shoe production, and Garrett Morgan's safety hood and automatic traffic signal, forerunners of the modern gas mask and traffic stop light. The exhibition examines such topics as African influences on Colonial technology and how the slave system stymied technological innovation. Individual inventors such as Lewis Temple, Elijah McCoy, James Forten, and Norbert Rillieux are profiled. Also featured are artifacts from some of the expositions of the late 19th-century, which celebrated this new surge of black inventiveness. The exhibition was curated by Portia James and organized by the Anacostia Museum. It was held at the museum from May 1989 - May 1990.

Series Restrictions:

Use of the materials requires an appointment. Some items are not accessible due to obsolete format and playback machinery restrictions. Please contact the archivist at acmarchives@si.edu.

Topic:

African Americans  Search this

African American inventors  Search this

Inventors  Search this

Inventions  Search this

Technology  Search this

Technological innovations  Search this

Patents  Search this

Patent laws and legislation  Search this

Enslaved persons  Search this

Slavery  Search this

Museum exhibits  Search this

Genre/Form:

Sound recordings

Citation:

The Real McCoy Exhibit Tour, Exhibition Records AV03-026, Anacostia Community Museum Archives, Smithsonian Institution.

Identifier:

ACMA.03-026, Item ACMA AV001611

See more items in:

The Real McCoy: Afro-American invention and innovation, 1619-1930 exhibition records

The Real McCoy: Afro-American invention and innovation, 1619-1930 exhibition records / Series ACMA AV03-026: The Real McCoy: Afro-American Invention and Innovation, 1619-1930 audiovisual records

Archival Repository:

Anacostia Community Museum Archives

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/qa769b8f2d6-7926-408a-84c1-47d3c76d0119

EDAN-URL:

ead_component:sova-acma-03-026-ref507

Creator:

Anacostia Museum  Search this

Names:

Anacostia Community Museum  Search this

Anacostia Neighborhood Museum  Search this

McCoy, Elijah, 1844-1929  Search this

Rillieux, Norbert, 1806-1894  Search this

Temple, Lewis  Search this

Collection Creator:

Smithsonian Institution. Anacostia Community Museum  Search this

Extent:

1 Video recording (VHS)

Type:

Archival materials

Video recordings

Place:

Anacostia (Washington, D.C.)

Washington (D.C.)

United States

Date:

circa 1989

Scope and Contents:

Curator Portia James led tour of the exhibition 'The Real McCoy: Afro-American Invention and Innovation 1619-1930.'

Exhibition Tour. Related to exhibition 'The Real McCoy: Afro-American Invention and Innovation 1619-1930.' Undated.

Biographical / Historical:

The exhibition - The Real McCoy: African-American Invention and Innovation, 1619-1930 - focused on outstanding black inventors, as well as anonymous innovators, who, as slaves, craftsmen and workers, made important contributions to the United States. Included are actual inventions, such an Jan Matzelieger's "shoe-lasting" machine, which revolutionized shoe production, and Garrett Morgan's safety hood and automatic traffic signal, forerunners of the modern gas mask and traffic stop light. The exhibition examines such topics as African influences on Colonial technology and how the slave system stymied technological innovation. Individual inventors such as Lewis Temple, Elijah McCoy, James Forten, and Norbert Rillieux are profiled. Also featured are artifacts from some of the expositions of the late 19th-century, which celebrated this new surge of black inventiveness. The exhibition was curated by Portia James and organized by the Anacostia Museum. It was held at the museum from May 1989 - May 1990.

Series Restrictions:

Use of the materials requires an appointment. Some items are not accessible due to obsolete format and playback machinery restrictions. Please contact the archivist at acmarchives@si.edu.

Topic:

African Americans  Search this

African American inventors  Search this

Inventors  Search this

Inventions  Search this

Technology  Search this

Technological innovations  Search this

Patents  Search this

Patent laws and legislation  Search this

Enslaved persons  Search this

Slavery  Search this

Museum exhibits  Search this

Genre/Form:

Video recordings

Citation:

The Real McCoy: Exhibition Tour, Anacostia Community Museum Archives, Smithsonian Institution.

Identifier:

ACMA.03-026, Item ACMA AV002057

See more items in:

The Real McCoy: Afro-American invention and innovation, 1619-1930 exhibition records

The Real McCoy: Afro-American invention and innovation, 1619-1930 exhibition records / Series ACMA AV03-026: The Real McCoy: Afro-American Invention and Innovation, 1619-1930 audiovisual records

Archival Repository:

Anacostia Community Museum Archives

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/qa7eff6628e-3dc4-47ae-9864-8c309fdb8156

EDAN-URL:

ead_component:sova-acma-03-026-ref510