Standard Steel Car Company radiator emblem
Smithsonian Institution
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This object appears in the following sections:
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Standard Steel Car Company radiator emblem
Catalog #: 325,528,
Accession #: 260,303
In collection
From the Smithsonian Collection
Standard Steel had been in the railroad industry, manufacturing steel and composite railway carriages and wagons, before turning to automobiles. |
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Physical Description |
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Dimensions (in mm): 7.5 L x 7.5 W x 0.4 D
Inscriptions: STANDARD STEEL CAR CO. STANDARD PITTSBURGH PA
Materials: metal
Colors: blue, red, white, bronze
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Details |
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Note: | Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania |
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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