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This collection brings together museum grade historical objects prepared for visual storytelling. Rooted in Detroit’s industrial and domestic past, each artifact is curated within a larger material system and preserved for camera ready use. Objects are available for editorial, stage, film, and institutional loan, offering authenticity that cannot be replicated.
Copper Wash Boiler
Status: Available for Loan Consideration for exhibition, domestic life interpretation, or material culture study. Copper Wash Boiler (Laundry Boiling Tub) United States c. late 19th century–early 20th century (approximately 1880–1920) Copper body with tin or galvanized lid; iron handles with wooden grips Dating and Identification This object is best identified as a copper wash boiler, sometimes referred to as a laundry boiling tub, used for heating water and boiling textiles
Simmons Hardware Co. Sad Iron
Status: Available for Loan Consideration for exhibition, domestic labor study, or industrial manufacturing interpretation. Simmons Hardware Company Sad Iron United States c. late 19th century–early 20th century (likely 1880s–1910s) Cast iron, wood Dating and Identification This cast iron “sad iron” is identifiable by the stamped text on the wooden handle reading “Simmons Hdw. Co. St. Louis,” referring to Simmons Hardware Company. The company was a major distributor of tools
Taylor Meat and Poultry Thermometer
Status: Available for Loan Consideration for exhibition, institutional study, or domestic material culture interpretation. Taylor Roast Meat and Poultry Thermometer (Complete Set with Box and Insert) United States c. 1940s–1950s Metal, glass, printed paper, and cardboard Dating This example can be dated to the mid-twentieth century, most likely the 1940s to early 1950s , based on a combination of manufacturing details, company identification, and graphic design. The label id
Johnson & Johnson First Aid Autokit
Status: Available for Loan Consideration for exhibition, institutional study, research on domestic medical preparedness, automotive safety culture, or approved placement. First Aid Autokit United States c. 1930s–1950s Painted metal tin, paper booklet, paper-wrapped gauze and bandages, glass bottles, plastic screw caps, mercurochrome antiseptic Dating & Attribution This object is identified as a Johnson & Johnson First Aid Autokit , a compact automobile first aid kit made in
George Bent Co. Sewing Stand Stool
Status: Available for Loan Consideration for exhibition, institutional study, research on early twentieth-century domestic labor and sewing culture, or approved placement. George Bent Co. Sewing Stand Stool Manufactured by George Bent Company, Gardner, Massachusetts United States, 1932 Turned wood construction, integrated storage compartment, upholstered lid Dating & Attribution This object is identified as a sewing stand stool manufactured by the George Bent Company , a well
Zither Harp
Status: Available for Loan Consideration for exhibition, institutional study, research on early twentieth-century domestic music culture, or approved placement. Hudson–Fulton Special Zither Harp Manufactured by Oscar Schmidt Company Marketed through Chickering & Sons United States, c. 1909–1915 Stained wood body, steel strings, decorative transfer ornament, printed instructional ephemera Dating & Attribution This instrument is identified as a Hudson–Fulton Special Zither Ha
Esquire Shoe Care Chest
Status: Available for Loan Consideration for exhibition, institutional study, design history research, or approved placement. Esquire Shoe Care Chest (with Brushes and Polish) United States, c. 1948–1958 Stained wood case with printed label, horsehair brushes, cotton polishing cloth, metal tin polish Note: Missing one original dauber (dobber); otherwise complete. Dating & Attribution This object is identified as an Esquire Shoe Care Chest , manufactured in the United States
Throat Atomizer
Status: Available for Loan Consideration for exhibition, institutional study, medical history research, or approved placement. Standard’s Throat Atomizer United States, c. 1895–1925 Glass reservoir, nickel-plated brass fittings, rubber compression bulb, internal glass tube Dating & Attribution This object is identified as a hand-operated medical throat atomizer , manufactured in the United States by the Standard Drug Company and commonly marketed under the name Standard’s T
Chicago Pencil Sharpener
Status: Available for Loan Consideration for exhibition, institutional study, research, or approved placement. Chicago Automatic Pencil Sharpener (Automatic Pencil Sharpener Company) United States (Chicago, Illinois), c. 1910–1935 Cast metal body with enamel finish, steel internal gearing, hand-crank mechanism Dating & Attribution This object is identified as a hand-cranked Chicago Automatic Pencil Sharpener , produced by the Automatic Pencil Sharpener Company (APSCO) of Ch
Shannon Arch Clipboard
Status: Available for Loan Consideration for exhibition, institutional study, research, or approved placement. Shannon Arch Clipboard United States, c. 1890–1915 Hardwood board, cast iron arch clip, steel wire springs Dating & Attribution This object is identified as a Shannon Arch Clipboard , a patented paper-holding device widely used in offices, factories, schools, and commercial settings in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Based on construction methods,
National Washboard co. Atlantic no. 510
Status: Available for Loan Consideration for exhibition, institutional study, research, or approved placement. Atlantic No. 510 Glass Washboard Date late 1940s–early 1950s United States; Wood and glass. Dating & Attribution This washboard is best dated to the late 1940s through early 1950s , based on branding, material choice, and manufacturing geography. The board is clearly marked “Atlantic No. 510 – National Washboard Co. – Chicago / Memphis.” The National Washboard Comp
The Reeves Suction Sweeper,
Status: Available for Loan Consideration for exhibition, institutional study, research, or approved placement. The Reeves Suction Sweeper, United States Milford, Connecticut c. 1910–1914 metal, wood Dating & Attributions The Reeves Vacuum Cleaner Company , based in Milford, Connecticut , was active in the production of hand-powered suction sweepers between approximately 1904 and 1916 , with peak manufacturing and marketing occurring around 1910–1914 . During this period, Ree
Brass Jardinière / Cachepot
Status: Available for Loan Consideration for exhibition, institutional study, research, or approved placement. Brass Jardinière / Cachepot with Lion Mask Handles England or Continental Europe, c. 1870–1895 Hammered brass, applied cast lion masks, paw feet Dating & Attribution This object is identified as a brass jardinière (also known as a cachepot) and is attributed to the late Victorian period (c. 1870–1895) . The dating is supported by its material, decorative vocabulary
Coal Scuttle
Status: Available for Loan Consideration for exhibition, institutional study, research, or approved placement. Coal Scuttle England, c. 1870–1900 Painted tin or iron (japanned finish), cast feet, decorative finials Dating & Attribution This object is identified as a coal scuttle and is attributed to the late Victorian period (c. 1870–1900) . Its dating is supported by its tall, upright form, sloped lid, japanned black finish, and ornamental detailing, all of which align with
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