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Chrysler radiator emblem
Catalog #: 325,528,
Accession #: 260,303
Currently on display
From the Smithsonian Collection
Walter P. Chrysler worked for Buick and Willys before aquiring the Maxwell-Chalmers Company in 1923 and building a corporation that bore his name. In 1928 Chrysler took over Dodge and began offering models in different price brackets. He eventually expanded his company to rival Ford and General Motors. |
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Physical Description |
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Dimensions (in mm): 4.5 L x 4.5 W x .2 D
Inscrpitions: CHRYSLER
Materials: metal
Colors: red, silver
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Details |
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Dates Used: |
1923 - present
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Credit: | Gift of Hubert G. Larson |
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History |
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Radiator emblems were colorful metal plates with a manufacturer's name or logo that attached to the radiators of early automobiles. Varying in shape and size, but never more than a few inches across, the emblems were small branding devices. As vehicles became more popular in a national market, people began associating the company name and logo on different vehicle models with a specific manufacturer. Radiator emblems sometimes indicated the type of engine or place of manufacturing. Other times they appealed directly to a driver's sense of style and class by using iconic images or a catchy motto.
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Related People, Places, and Events |
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Donor
Hubert G. Larson
In 1964 Hubert G. Larson donated a collection of 278 radiator emblems to the Smithsonian.
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