Inventing a Better Mousetrap: Patent Models from the Rothschild Collection

On July 4, 1836, President Andrew Jackson authorized the construction of a patent office building in Washington, D.C. It was designed to celebrate American invention, technical ingenuity, and the scientific advancements that the patent process represents. In 1840, the Patent Office moved into the south wing of what is now the Smithsonian American Art Museum's historic main building. All of the models included in the exhibition were originally displayed in cases nine feet high, along with some 200,000 others, in the grand galleries on the third floor of the building, which was completed in 1868. American patent law in the nineteenth century required the submission and public display of a model with each patent application. These scale models in miniature illustrate not only the imaginative fervor of the era but also the amazing craftsmanship required to fabricate these often intricate works of art. Many of the models were constructed by specialized makers in workshops located near the Patent Office.

The models in the exhibition are grouped by category, including domestic life, leisure, and machinery. The models will be complemented by drawings, illustrations, a rare early patent signed by George Washington, and a full-scale model of a ""better"" mousetrap with questions about its advantages and disadvantages over more conventional mousetraps. The installation also will include a case of ""mystery models,"" each accompanied by a clue, which will allow visitors to guess their purpose.

The exhibition is on display in the museum's Allan J. and Reda R. Riley Gallery. Charles Robertson, deputy director emeritus of the Smithsonian American Art Museum and specialist in American decorative arts, is the curator of the exhibition. In 2011, Alan and Ann Rothschild generously donated twenty-five patent models to the museum for its permanent collection.