American-type Locomotive Model, without Tender

Copied Unidentified (American), American-type Locomotive Model, without Tender, ca. 1860s-1880s, carved and painted wood with fabric and metal, 11 7828 128 in. (30.272.420.3 cm.), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Herbert Waide Hemphill, Jr. and museum purchase made possible by Ralph Cross Johnson, 1986.65.335A-B
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Artwork Details

Title
American-type Locomotive Model, without Tender
Artist
Unidentified (American)
Date
ca. 1860s-1880s
Dimensions
11 7828 128 in. (30.272.420.3 cm.)
Credit Line
Gift of Herbert Waide Hemphill, Jr. and museum purchase made possible by Ralph Cross Johnson
Mediums Description
carved and painted wood with fabric and metal
Classifications
Keywords
  • Architecture — vehicle — train
Object Number
1986.65.335A-B

Artwork Description

Model trains made of lead or tin became popular after the transcontinental railroad line was finished in 1869. The triangular metal fixture on the front of this model locomotive is called a cowcatcher, which was used to push cows off the tracks when the train was unable to stop.