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Maxwell Motor Company radiator emblem
Catalog #: 325,528,
Accession #: 260,303
In collection
From the Smithsonian Collection
Jonathon Maxwell and Benjamin Briscoe collaborated to make a small runabour in 1904. This make performed well in early races. In 1923 Walter P. Chrysler took over Maxwell, with the last Maxwells being produced in 1925. |
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Physical Description |
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Dimensions (in mm): 8.3 L x 6.7 H x 0.5 D
Inscriptions: “MOTOR Maxwell COMPANY”
Materials: metal
Colors: red, white, blue, silver
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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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