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Hudson Motor Car Compnay radiator emblem
Catalog #: 325,528,
Accession #: 260,303
Currently on display
From the Smithsonian Collection
The Hudson was created by Roy D. Chapin and financed by J. L. Hudson, who was the head of a large Detroit-based department store of the same name. The Hudson Motor Car Company's high sales figures were mostly due to the inexpensive model line of the Essex. In 1954 Hudson joined with Nash to form the American Motors Corporation. The Hudson name was dropped in 1957. |
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Physical Description |
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Dimensions (in mm): 5.9 L x 6.6 W x .4 D
Inscriptions: HUDSON MOTOR CAR CO. DETROIT MICH. U.S.A.
Materials: metal
Colors: white, silver, blue
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Details |
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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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