We all use tools—from the moment we wake up until we go to bed. Designed to overcome the limitations and fulfill the desires of the human body, tools are extensions of ourselves and surrogates where humans fall short. Although often equated with technology and engineering, some tools are seemingly simple, poetic gestures; others save time and alleviate the burdens of daily life; still others are game changers that allow us to achieve amazing feats. Offering moments of surprise and connections between seemingly diverse cultures, time periods, and places, the works shown here provide an opportunity to consider tools as quintessential examples of design, and reveal the fundamental role they play in shaping our lives.
Ranging from a 1.85 million-year old stone core chopper to real-time data of the Sun’s surface, the tools in this exhibition span much of human experience and tell a unique story of design. This exhibition is a cross-disciplinary collaboration between Cooper Hewitt and eleven Smithsonian Institution museums and research centers, which generously lent most of the objects, as well as expertise. Their loans are augmented with several contemporary tools that illustrate new areas of research.
Tools: Extending Our Reach is made possible by major support from GE. Generous support is also provided by Newell Rubbermaid, Dorit and Avi Reichental, and Esme Usdan. Additional funding is provided by the August Heckscher Exhibition Fund, Facebook, the Ehrenkranz Fund, and Smithsonian Institution funds from the Grand Challenges Consortia.
Make
Tinkering, sketching, modeling, prototyping, and playing are all vital to the design process. These processes are tools themselves, expressing the creativity that comes with making things. For designers, sketching and prototyping help them think through ideas and aid in developing projects; for inventors, they stake a claim to a concept that may result in a patent.
New technologies, such as 3D printing, are changing what is possible, transforming the way products are conceived and fabricated. It is an ideal process for creating unique or limited production objects such as prototypes and prosthetic devices or for empowering the average person to design and customize items at home. And as the physical and virtual become increasingly seamless, touch-free gestural control systems will soon allow users to push and pull shapes to create, explore and build, redefining how we "make" in the future.
Models, Patents, Prototypes:
Nineteenth-century patent models served a variety of purposes, from demonstrating design and function, to inspiring inventors, to understanding what was possible. Similarly with these examples of 21st-century technology that make portraits, print tools, or translate hand gestures into form and mass—they are statements about and visual wonders of our digital age.
Sketches:
Sketching is an effective tool to help people imagine, define, refine, and realize ideas. Inventors and designers sketch to explore concepts and document their creative methods, leading some to patents and manufactured products. On backs of envelopes, scraps of paper, or in notebooks just for this purpose, these sketches are as diverse as the creative minds that made them.
Smithsonian Institution, National Museum of American History, Cat. T11410.031
personal
domestic
figurative
tool
typography
mechanical
gears
spinning
rotation
patent model
knitting
patent
Nineteenth-century patent models served a variety of purposes, from demonstrating design and function, to inspiring inventors, to understanding what was possible. Similarly with these examples of twenty-first-century technology that make portraits, print tools, or translate hand gestures into form and mass—they are statements about and visual wonders of our digital age.
Smithsonian Institution, National Museum of American History, Cat. T06055
personal
domestic
scrolls
decorative
tool
vegetal
contour
mechanical
sewing
spinning
rotation
patent model
patent
Nineteenth-century patent models served a variety of purposes, from demonstrating design and function, to inspiring inventors, to understanding what was possible. Similarly with these examples of twenty-first-century technology that make portraits, print tools, or translate hand gestures into form and mass—they are statements about and visual wonders of our digital age.
Smithsonian Institution, National Museum of American History, On deposit from Wyckoff, Seamans and Benedict, Cat. 181005
rounded
communication
recording
tool
globular
alphabet
typography
typing
mechanical
keyboard
patent model
mechanization
This "writing ball" was one of the first commercially successful typewriters. The layout of its keyboard was based on the frequency of letters used, coupled with the position of the fastest-typing fingers. Enabling users to write faster than one could by hand, the typewriter became especially popular in business offices during the late nineteenth century, with the increasing demands for paperwork.
Smithsonian Institution, National Museum of American History, Cat. 310579.01
lighting
domestic
electricity
rounded
public
offices
tool
innovative
transparent
Nineteenth-century patent models served a variety of purposes, from demonstrating design and function, to inspiring inventors, to understanding what was possible. Similarly with these examples of twenty-first-century technology that make portraits, print tools, or translate hand gestures into form and mass—they are statements about and visual wonders of our digital age.
Smithsonian Institution, National Museum of American History, Cat. 210834.01
personal
metallic
asymmetry
measuring
utility
tool
triangles
geometric
work
rectilinear
angular
patent model
patent
carpentry
Nineteenth-century patent models served a variety of purposes, from demonstrating design and function, to inspiring inventors, to understanding what was possible. Similarly with these examples of twenty-first-century technology that make portraits, print tools, or translate hand gestures into form and mass—they are statements about and visual wonders of our digital age.
Courtesy of Smithsonian Libraries, Cooper Hewitt Smithsonian Design Library
architecture
communication
water
fountains
tool
technology
writing
books
innovative
encyclopedic
knowledge
solar
This publication chronicles inventions by the architect and engineer Salomon de Caus, including tools for powering machines, musical instruments, and fountains. Illustrated here is a tool for augmenting the power of a fountain: water is heated by the sun (AB); it rises into a pipe (CD), which carries it through the wall and into the adjoining chamber.
electromechanical assembly, aluminum frame, microsoft kinect sensor, apple mac mini, display
Courtesy of Tangible Media Group and MIT Media Lab. This installation was generously supported by Steelcase.
communication
digital
tool
technology
innovative
making
prototypes
lens
touch
Touch-free manipulation of objects in real time, but from thousands of miles away, is a topic of cutting-edge research. inFORM does just that: physical “pixels”—elongated pegs on a table surface—move in real time, activated by data from a remote motion-sensing device. This ability to still interact physically creates a strong sense of presence and could transform communication and collaboration in the future.
Space missions depend on equipment sent from Earth, but if astronauts can make parts as needed, the supply chain from Earth to space could be largely bypassed. A 3D printer like this, designed for use in microgravity, was sent to the International Space Station (ISS), where it is making the very first objects manufactured off planet Earth.
A copy of this plaque is installed inside the Made In Space 3D printer on the ISS. The logo shows a digital stream of information being broadcast from California to the ISS, demonstrating how digital signals will translate into functional tools off Earth.
Smithsonian Institution, National Museum of American History, Cat. 308790
metallic
tool
commercial
rope
mechanical
gears
rotation
industrial
patent model
patent
mechanization
Nineteenth-century patent models served a variety of purposes, from demonstrating design and function, to inspiring inventors, to understanding what was possible. Similarly with these examples of twenty-first-century technology that make portraits, print tools, or translate hand gestures into form and mass—they are statements about and visual wonders of our digital age.
Smithsonian Institution, National Museum of American History, Cat. 309165
metallic
protection
tool
rectangular
commercial
mechanical
security
gears
rotation
patent model
patent
mechanization
Nineteenth-century patent models served a variety of purposes, from demonstrating design and function, to inspiring inventors, to understanding what was possible. Similarly with these examples of twenty-first-century technology that make portraits, print tools, or translate hand gestures into form and mass—they are statements about and visual wonders of our digital age.
Smithsonian Institution, National Museum of American History, Cat. T11393.005
domestic
rounded
women
curved
tool
wood
smooth
patent model
patent
laundry
Nineteenth-century patent models served a variety of purposes, from demonstrating design and function, to inspiring inventors, to understanding what was possible. Similarly with these examples of twenty-first-century technology that make portraits, print tools, or translate hand gestures into form and mass—they are statements about and visual wonders of our digital age.
Smithsonian Institution, National Museum of American History, Cat. T11393.037
domestic
women
tool
curving line
wood
flat
smooth
patent model
patent
laundry
forks
Nineteenth-century patent models served a variety of purposes, from demonstrating design and function, to inspiring inventors, to understanding what was possible. Similarly with these examples of twenty-first-century technology that make portraits, print tools, or translate hand gestures into form and mass—they are statements about and visual wonders of our digital age.
Smithsonian Institution, National Museum of American History, Cat. T11393.012
domestic
symmetry
women
tool
flat
patent model
patent
intersecting
Nineteenth-century patent models served a variety of purposes, from demonstrating design and function, to inspiring inventors, to understanding what was possible. Similarly with these examples of twenty-first-century technology that make portraits, print tools, or translate hand gestures into form and mass—they are statements about and visual wonders of our digital age.
Smithsonian Institution, National Museum of American History, Cat. T11393.039
domestic
symmetry
women
tool
flat
angular
triangular
patent model
patent
spring
Nineteenth-century patent models served a variety of purposes, from demonstrating design and function, to inspiring inventors, to understanding what was possible. Similarly with these examples of twenty-first-century technology that make portraits, print tools, or translate hand gestures into form and mass—they are statements about and visual wonders of our digital age.
Smithsonian Institution, National Museum of American History, Cat. T11393.035
domestic
asymmetry
women
tool
curving line
flat
patent model
patent
spring
Nineteenth-century patent models served a variety of purposes, from demonstrating design and function, to inspiring inventors, to understanding what was possible. Similarly with these examples of twenty-first-century technology that make portraits, print tools, or translate hand gestures into form and mass—they are statements about and visual wonders of our digital age.
Smithsonian Institution, National Museum of American History, Cat. T11393.011
domestic
symmetry
women
tool
curving line
flat
patent model
patent
Nineteenth-century patent models served a variety of purposes, from demonstrating design and function, to inspiring inventors, to understanding what was possible. Similarly with these examples of twenty-first-century technology that make portraits, print tools, or translate hand gestures into form and mass—they are statements about and visual wonders of our digital age.
Smithsonian Institution, National Museum of American History, Cat. T11393.025
domestic
symmetry
women
tool
curving line
flat
patent model
patent
Nineteenth-century patent models served a variety of purposes, from demonstrating design and function, to inspiring inventors, to understanding what was possible. Similarly with these examples of twenty-first-century technology that make portraits, print tools, or translate hand gestures into form and mass—they are statements about and visual wonders of our digital age.
Smithsonian Institution, National Museum of American History, Cat. T11393.040
domestic
rounded
women
tool
curving line
patent model
patent
spring
Nineteenth-century patent models served a variety of purposes, from demonstrating design and function, to inspiring inventors, to understanding what was possible. Similarly with these examples of twenty-first-century technology that make portraits, print tools, or translate hand gestures into form and mass—they are statements about and visual wonders of our digital age.
Space missions depend on equipment sent from Earth, but if astronauts can make parts as needed, the supply chain from Earth to space could be largely bypassed. A 3D printer like this, designed for use in microgravity, was sent to the International Space Station (ISS), where it is making the very first objects manufactured off planet Earth.
A copy of this plaque is installed inside the Made In Space 3D printer on the ISS. The logo shows a digital stream of information being broadcast from California to the ISS, demonstrating how digital signals will translate into functional tools off Earth.
Communicate
We are social creatures. Our natural need to connect with one another, to record and pass on knowledge, has informed the design of many tools of communication. The Internet is today's most powerful example, altering our sense of geography and distance and forming new kinds of communities through social networking, with a constant flow of knowledge, data, and images at our fingertips. Its roots are in the myriad symbols and codes humans have created to remember, convey, and exchange information—from writing, pictures, knots, lines, and dots, to electrical impulses. A knotted time ball or Intelligent Mail Barcode, for example, is a compilation of many details, from a life story to a house address, amplifying ideas and data forr people to understand, transmit, recall—or sometimes conceal.
Record:
Codes and symbols are shorthand for simple and complex information that may be understood by one person or multitudes. Patterns formed by knots, lines, colors, and 1s and 0s distill data, transmitting it through touch, sight, or hearing. Memory aid, accounting register, or calorie counter, these objects act as physical and virtual messengers of information.
Disseminate:
These devices generate and enhance communication, resulting in expanded networks. As bridges between people, images and symbols inform in ways that other modes of communication cannot. A booklet of eye tests aids communication between doctor and patient and also captures assumptions about people and their cultural competencies, from card playing to singing.
Objects of adornment are communication tools. Prestige objects are often designed to dazzle and to signify hierarchy, project power to others—think business suits—and at times indicate relationships to the divine, like the Raven, the mythical creator depicted on the rattle.
Smithsonian Institution, National Museum of American History, 1986.0705.03
communication
graphic design
figurative
measuring
tool
typography
symbols
health-care
medical
observation
vision
These devices generate and enhance communication, resulting in expanded networks. As bridges between people, images and symbols inform in ways that other modes of communication cannot. A booklet of eye tests aids communication between doctor and patient and also captures assumptions about people and their cultural competencies, from card playing to singing.
Department of Anthropology, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, A207910
antiquity
communication
identity
cylinder
figurative
recording
archaeology
tool
writing
carved
symbols
signature
Codes and symbols are shorthand for simple and complex information that may be understood by one person or multitudes. Patterns formed by knots, lines, colors, and 1s and 0s distill data, transmitting it through touch, sight, or hearing. Memory aid, accounting register, or calorie counter, these objects act as physical and virtual messengers of information.
Department of Anthropology, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, A315235
antiquity
communication
recording
archaeology
tool
writing
typography
line
symbols
Codes and symbols are shorthand for simple and complex information that may be understood by one person or multitudes. Patterns formed by knots, lines, colors, and 1s and 0s distill data, transmitting it through touch, sight, or hearing. Memory aid, accounting register, or calorie counter, these objects act as physical and virtual messengers of information.
National Anthropological Archives, Smithsonian Institution NAA MS 2372 (Inv. 08631100)
figures
profile
communication
repetition
recording
heads
tool
numbers
writing
symbols
ancestry
This pictorial roster by the Oglala Lakota chief Big Road is a list of his followers. A small image beside each man suggests his name, for example, Bear Looking Back (top row, second from left). The head of each family band holds a pipe and pipe bag, while leaders in battle brandish war clubs.
Department of Anthropology, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, E3790
decoration
figures
communication
water
animals
hunting
transport
tool
carved
symbols
boats
navigation
nautical
This elaborately carved canoe prow signifies power. Most likely from an important war or fishing canoe, its symbolism, charged with meaning, was meant to impress onlookers and embolden users. The aggressive figure at the front was believed to forcefully part the seas, the domain of the god Tangaroa.
Collected by Rev. Sheldon Jackson, 1877–94, Department of Anthropology, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, E316756
communication
birds
figurative
dance
sculptural
protection
tool
carved
ceremony
ritual
symbols
spiritual protection
handle
Among peoples of the Northwest Coast, clan leaders, dancers, and shamans connected daily life with the spirit realm. As intermediaries, they were traditionally relied upon to ward off evil and harness the spirits’ healing powers. Raven rattles were important tools that facilitated these negotiations. When shaken, their sound helped summon the supernatural world.
Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, Gift of Loral Data Systems, A19950036000
communication
recording
brightly colored
protection
tool
rectilinear
mechanical
handle
aviation
Flight data recorders often provide the key to understanding the cause of aircraft accidents. This now-obsolete example could survive impacts of 100 G-force, temperatures of 1,000 °C, and immersion in seawater for up to thirty days. Originally painted black to radiate excess heat, the boxes today are orange, making them easier to find.
knotted cordage of apocynum canabinum (indian hemp)
National Museum of the American Indian, Smithsonian Institution, 10/297
timekeeping
recording
time
tool
intertwined
knots
texture
rope
diaries
When ready for marriage, a young woman started her time ball, a fiber diary that employed knots to record events. Glass beads, shells, and cloth fragments marked special occasions. As a woman aged, her time ball accumulated the history of her family and extended community. It was so essential to her identity that she was buried with it.
The Ernst Herzfeld Papers, Freer Gallery of Art and the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, FSA A.6 06.C061
architecture
communication
recording
archaeology
tool
wall
writing
typography
raised
Paper squeezes are molded negative impressions of carved surfaces. Introduced in the 18th century as a new form of scientific documentation, they functioned as three-dimensional records of inscriptions and reliefs on ancient monuments. Western archeologists and other scholars used them to decipher and reconstruct the texts.
Smithsonian Institution, National Museum of American History, 306619.11
communication
tool
typing
keyboard
Braille
blind
code
cases
touch
Designed for deaf-blind users, the Tellatouch Braillewriter closes the distance between people who rely upon sight, sound, and touch to connect. Each key on what resembles a conventional keyboard lifts a Braille letter one at a time on the opposite side of the console, where a person reads the six-point cells that compose the tactile letters.
Courtesy of Smithsonian Libraries, Cooper Hewitt Smithsonian Design Library
communication
tool
technology
writing
books
innovative
encyclopedic
knowledge
research
manufacturing
Enlightenment
Diderot’s intent with the Encyclopédie was to gather all human knowledge into a single work. A primary focus was to document and illustrate the mechanical arts, materials, and processes. Because the illustrations drew directly from the workshops, it was, and remains, a unique compendium of the tools available in mid-18th-century Europe.
Gift of Lt. H.T. Reed, National Anthropological Archives, Smithsonian Institution, 08633800
figures
men
communication
timekeeping
recording
time
measuring
numbers
writing
symbols
knowledge
handwriting
calendars
information graphics
Winter counts are personal memory aids painted by men who were assigned the responsibility of keeping track of a sequence of years. Each picture served as a reminder for a particular year. This count reads in serpentine fashion from top to bottom. Number 48 represents a dramatic meteor shower in the winter of 1833/34.
Department of Anthropology, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, A365240
communication
recording
archaeology
measuring
tool
knots
rope
knowledge
code
Quipu were integral to the expansion and administration of the Inca empire. Varying in length, number of strings, and color, with knots representing decimal points, they recorded census information linked to the collection of taxes from local communities. They were also used as memory aids by official historians and genealogists.
Codes and symbols are shorthand for simple and complex information that may be understood by one person or multitudes. Patterns formed by knots, lines, colors, and 1s and 0s distill data, transmitting it through touch, sight, or hearing. Memory aid, accounting register, or calorie counter, these objects act as physical and virtual messengers of information.
Courtesy of Kentucky Historical Society, (Pamphlet Fall 1968; 051 W628)
Predating the computer and the World Wide Web, this user-generated database of tools from varied sources and cultures celebrated small-scale technologies as a way for individuals to improve their lives. When it was launched in 1968, Brand’s goal was to encourage readers towards greater self-sufficiency and a shared sense of community.
Survive
Humans are hardwired to survive. The first human tools were used to hunt, butcher, forage, and defend. Protection continues to preoccupy us today, whether finding ways to survive in extreme or inhospitable environments, like outer space, or enduring potentially dangerous situations, like raids and riots.
Our quest to detect diseases before they become life-threatening gave rise to the invention of the "lab-on-a-chip"—a phenomenon unimaginable even a generation ago. These devices identify key health information and instantly transmit the results, allowing for real-time diagnoses. While not all survival design is a matter of life or death, these tools demonstrate how the will to survive continues to inspire us to seek ever-smarter solutions.
Protect:
Designing for inhospitable, even extreme conditions often includes using materials from nature, such as sea-mammal intestine, and inventing new ones, such as Kevlar®. These “second skins” rely on the maker’s skills and understanding of performance needs, which can mean the difference between life and death for the wearer.
Finding cures for illnesses, protecting against negative forces, and increasing quality of life with prosthetics and pain-prevention all result from our desire to live longer and healthier. Managing pain in the operating room was complicated and mostly ineffective until ether was introduced in 1846. Within a year of its introduction, anesthesia was employed in every surgery where it was available.
Smithsonian Institution, National Museum of American History, 1987.0474.01
rounded
science
protection
tool
hearts
tubular
health-care
innovative
survival
prosthetic
medical
mechanization
Finding cures for illnesses, protecting against negative forces, and increasing quality of life with prosthetics and pain-prevention all result from our desire to live longer and healthier. Managing pain in the operating room was complicated and mostly ineffective until ether was introduced in 1846. Within a year of its introduction, anesthesia was employed in every surgery where it was available.
Smithsonian Institution, National Museum of American History, Cat. M-06669
container
asymmetry
science
protection
tool
health-care
flat
stacking
innovative
survival
medical
hollow
Once the antibiotic properties of penicillin were confirmed, the problem was how to produce enough to test on humans. In 1940, Dr. Norman Heatley designed a stackable vessel, inspired by hospital bedpans, which collected samples for culturing. Wartime constraints excluded glass, the ideal material, but a ceramic model proved equally efficient and inexpensive.
National Museum of the American Indian, Smithsonian Institution, 22/7435
personal
organic
hunting
nature
protection
tool
ceremony
texture
innovative
opaque
Made from the intestine of a beluga whale, this parka is a high-performance garment—waterproof, windproof, and resistant to decay. Alaska Native women sewed these translucent and life-protecting parkas, and, in this example, created a watertight seam using sinew and twine in a running stitch.
National Museum of the American Indian, Smithsonian Institution, 5/4349
personal
rounded
ovoid
protection
tool
winter
cut-out
smooth
innovative
vision
eyewear
Exquisitely carved, these ivory goggles protected the wearer from snow blindness caused by intense sunlight reflecting off snow. The narrow slits allowed the wearer to see without squinting and even enhanced one’s vision—like a pinhole camera.
National Museum of African Art, Gift of Lawrence Gussman in memory of Dr. Albert Schweitzer, 98-15-11
animals
figurative
mask
protection
tool
carved
ceremony
cut-out
spiritual protection
handle
shaman
Designated men of Koma society in northwest Côte d’Ivoire and Guinea are trained to combat negative forces that cause discord. This maskette incorporates the symbolism and materials that empowered the society’s larger masks, but it was used by an individual, serving both to protect him and, like a passport, prove his Koma membership should he travel.
glass, horn, metal, textile wrapping, wooden base (not original to the object)
Smithsonian Institution, National Museum of American History, Cat. M-09244
rounded
science
protection
tool
tubular
health-care
transparent
survival
medical
surgical
Finding cures for illnesses, protecting against negative forces, and increasing quality of life with prosthetics and pain-prevention all result from our desire to live longer and healthier. Managing pain in the operating room was complicated and mostly ineffective until ether was introduced in 1846. Within a year of its introduction, anesthesia was employed in every surgery where it was available.
Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, Transferred from NASA, 1980-0041-000
protection
tool
flexible
work
reflective
mobility
space
astronauts
The Mark V was more than a survival tool for an astronaut in space, it was a developmental tool designed to research how to facilitate human movement inside a spacesuit. While the oversize shoulder made it easy for the wearer to move an arm, it ultimately proved too large to allow three astronauts to sit side by side in the spacecraft.
Smithsonian Institution, National Museum of American History, Cat. 1985.3109.100.1–3
metallic
science
protection
tool
health-care
survival
medical
pointed
forks
Administering the smallpox vaccine required only a shallow injection into the skin, which contains cells from the immune system. After centuries of attempts to perfect a delivery system, the two-pronged needle was introduced in 1968. An adaptation of a sewing-machine needle, it provided accurate dosage, puncture efficiency, and ease of use.
Courtesy of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
With a smartphone and a MoboSens anyone can detect contaminated water or analyze blood, urine, or saliva for illnesses. An online map allows the results to be shared and monitored in real time. MoboSens is an affordable tool that is part of the digital revolution in environmental awareness and health care.
The Kernel of Life is a wearable amulet that transforms biological material into digital data. An interior pad analyzes blood (red), saliva (blue), urine (yellow), and breath (green) and transmits the results to a mobile application, allowing patients to both self-monitor and be monitored remotely and continuously.
This terrifying bullet-resistant mask, made of Kevlar®, is part of the armor worn by law-enforcement officers during raids or when apprehending snipers. The design is a visual expression of its purpose: with all identifying features totally effaced, its sinister appearance ups the ante of confrontation and intimidation.
internal: ultrasound transmitters and receivers, signal processor, computer-on-chip, external: magnesium and plastic covers
Courtesy of GE Healthcare
communication
collapsible
digital
touchscreen
recording
protection
tool
rectangular
health-care
mobility
portable
innovative
computing
survival
medical
observation
This pocket-sized ultrasound device automatically goes into scanning mode when opened. As the clinician glides the probe over the patient’s skin, sound waves are converted into real-time images of organs or blood flow and displayed on the Vscan’s screen. This ability for clinicians to obtain and analyze information instantaneously can help them impact patient lives.
Tools of observation allow us to see what was previously invisible and to hear sounds where once there was silence. They enhance our five senses and address our insatiable curiosity to learn more about ourselves and the worlds around and within us. Experimentation with magnification, shape, and position of lenses has resulted in a variety of scopes—opthalmoscopes, microscopes, telescopes—showing us micro- and macro-universes in real time without leaving our chair. Other forms of virtual observation, such as flying robots and drones, incorporate sensors that respond directly to their surroundings, further extending our reach into the new and unknown.
Physical:
We augment our senses with tools to see farther into the micro and macro worlds and to enhance our reception of conditions around us. Different scopes utilize the same tool—a lens—for magnification. The discreet Zon hearing aid amplifies sound for the hearing impaired, while a white cane and its tip enable the user to “see” with sound and touch.
Virtual:
Traveling to environments impossible for us to physically enter requires surrogates such as satellites, aerial surveillance, and even ingestible cameras. Electronics, miniaturized technology, and specialized manufacturing processes have helped designers and engineers to make tools that can now reach remote locations and deliver results in real time and with previously unimaginable clarity.
Smithsonian Institution, National Museum of American History, 1990.0183.01
metallic
cylinder
science
tool
tubular
health-care
exploration
innovative
medical
observation
examination
vision
lens
We augment our senses with tools to see farther into the micro and macro worlds and to enhance our reception of conditions around us. Different scopes utilize the same tool—a lens—for magnification. The discreet Zon hearing aid amplifies sound for the hearing impaired, while a white cane and its tip enable the user to “see” with sound and touch.
Smithsonian Institution, National Museum of American History, 314016
circles
perspective
science
tool
health-care
exploration
innovative
medical
observation
examination
vision
lens
velvet
This simple tool for looking at the fundus—the back of the eye—made possible the first view of living tissue in action. By adjusting the position, curvature, and power of the lenses, the user could sharpen the images. This model directed a beam of light to the fundus, and its removable lenses could be flipped out of the way.
Smithsonian Institution, National Museum of American History, M-09840
perspective
metallic
science
tool
flat
portable
exploration
innovative
observation
examination
vision
lens
The earliest simple microscope—a replica is shown here—could magnify 250 times or more with a single lens. One of Leeuwenhoek’s special skills was grinding lenses to produce superior magnification: he was one of the first to observe and describe single-cell organisms.
Smithsonian Institution, National Museum of American History, 306619.10
collapsible
cylinder
tool
tubular
folded
health-care
portable
navigation
medical
observation
blind
vision
visually impaired
aluminum
Observational tool, navigation device, and symbol, a white cane transmits information. The initial exchange takes place at the tip, where the cane meets the ground, and feedback from the tip alerts the user of terrain conditions. A folding cane can be easily stowed and is often more manageable in an urban context than the rigid version.
Smithsonian Institution, National Museum of American History, 2001.0324.01-03
Observational tool, navigation device, and symbol, a white cane transmits information. The initial exchange takes place at the tip, where the cane meets the ground, and feedback from the tip alerts the user of terrain conditions. A folding cane can be easily stowed and is often more manageable in an urban context than the rigid version.
This iconic film illustrates scale of observation and thought. Beginning at a lakeside picnic in Chicago, the viewer travels to the universe and back, then into the microstructure of the human body. Charles and Ray Eames made this adaptation of Kees Boeke’s 1957 book, Cosmic View, to celebrate the power of scale in shaping our understanding of the world.
Manufactured by Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology
metal shell
Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, Transferred from the US Army Ordnance Museum, A19890568000
communication
electronic
cylinder
recording
tool
mechanical
exploration
space
astronomy
observation
Explorer 1 was the first successful US Earth-orbiting satellite. Mounted on top of a rocket, the satellite incorporated a rocket booster on the back. Its aerodynamic form, including the conical nose, minimized drag through the atmosphere. It contained detectors for cosmic rays and micrometeorites; electronics; batteries; and communication equipment. Four radio antennas are detached for display purposes.
epoxy-bonded fiberglass, aluminum, other light metals, plastics
Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, Transferred from NASA, A19751411000
dome
communication
electronic
recording
tool
mechanical
exploration
space
astronomy
observation
Ariel 2, the first radio-astronomy satellite, listened for radio waves from the galaxy and Earth’s natural events. Other onboard experiments included measuring ozone and oxygen levels in the ionosphere, 73 km (46 mi.) to 1,006 km (621 mi.) away. Powered by solar cells feeding nickel-cadmium batteries, this compact satellite was designed to function for one year.
Smithsonian Institution, National Museum of American History, 2006.0182.02-03
perspective
metallic
cylinder
science
tool
tubular
exploration
innovative
space
astronomy
observation
examination
vision
lens
In the nineteenth century, scientists thought Earth’s distance from the Sun could be ascertained by measuring the transit of the planet Venus across the Sun, an event that occurs once every 120 years. The United States sent eight international expeditions equipped with specially designed telescopes (this one went to Australia). Although not completely successful, the expeditions asserted that American science had come of age.
Courtesy of Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics (CfA)
instruction
scale
tool
sun
stars
sunburst
space
astronomy
knowledge
observation
solar
solar system
In 2010, NASA launched four solar telescopes into orbit on board the Solar Dynamics Observatory. The AIA is the first instrument that allows us to see the entire Sun at twice the resolution of standard high-definition television. Eight high-definition images of the Sun are
taken every twelve seconds. This data is then sent to Earth as numbers.
Colors are assigned to render the different solar activity visible and to make the images visually compelling. As a tool for scientists and the general public to study in real time (with an eight-minute transmission delay) how the Sun affects life on Earth, the Solar Wall also communicates the majesty of our nearest star.
led light source, lens, battery, antenna, transmitter, imager
Courtesy of Given Imaging, a Covidien Company
personal
rounded
ovoid
digital
recording
protection
tool
health-care
transparent
medical
cameras
observation
lens
Imagined by the inventor in the 1990s as a tiny vessel with a camera traveling through the intestines, the PillCam® now replaces more invasive surgical procedures. The patient swallows the single-use “pill” and light-emitting diodes illuminate the intestinal walls, transmitting images to a wireless data recorder. The data are downloaded to a computer and analyzed by a physician.
Gift of Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences
wings
metal
biomorphic
insects
exploration
innovative
electronics
bees
observation
sustainability
environment
drones
robotic
small
The world’s first insect-scale flying robot has a wingspan of 3 cm (1 in.) and is the approximate weight of a honeybee, its source of inspiration. Harvard researchers were responding to the alarming collapse of bee colonies worldwide and wanted to replicate their swarming behavior. Other applications include search-and-rescue missions, environmental sensors, and covert surveillance.
Designed by Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering
flight muscles: piezoelectric ceramic, carbon fiber, and alumina ceramic; wings: polyester film membrane stretched over a carbon-fiber composite frame; wing transmission: polyimide-film flexural hinges with carbon-fiber rigid links; body: carbon-fiber an
Gift of Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences
wings
flat
biomorphic
insects
exploration
electronics
bees
observation
sustainability
environment
drones
robotic
The world’s first insect-scale flying robot has a wingspan of 3 cm (1 in.) and is the approximate weight of a honeybee, its source of inspiration. Harvard researchers were responding to the alarming collapse of bee colonies worldwide and wanted to replicate their
swarming behavior. Other applications include search-and-rescue missions, environmental sensors, and covert surveillance.
Measure
How much? How far? How long? These questions have driven scientific inquiry and the desire for greater accuracy through the creation and use of measuring tools. Navigation, time, and quantifying tools chart our path, mark our time, and regulate our lives.
We create maps and charts to visualize data obtained from these instruments. As the volume of information to analyze increases exponentially, designers, like mapmakers, are working to distill it into accessible formats such as enlarged microchip diagrams that reveal many layers and circuits or a "live" map of celestial bodies that poetically visualizes one's music collection.
Navigate:
Maps help us visualize information: data, circuits on microchips or ocean currents. To determine their location, navigators historically relied on angle-finding tools like the sextant and astrolabe. They gave real-time calculations just like today’s GPS or its next generation, the T-IMU.
Quantify:
An abacus, a calculator, and a slide rule answer the question HOW MUCH? by means of very different techniques. The construction of some of our greatest modern buildings was calculated using slide rules. For surveying complex sites and surfaces, 3D laser scanners achieve such high precision that the interior of an entire building can be represented in minute detail.
Time:
By the 19th century, affordable timepieces became available to a growing American middle class because they could be factory made. More than tools to keep time, pocket watches served as status symbols and fashion accessories, and achieved unexpected success during the Civil War, when they became a fad among Union soldiers.
During World War II, such maps were issued to Army Air Forces and navy air crewmen, should they be lost at sea or escaping from enemy territory. They were an escaper’s most important tool. Easy to conceal, these rayon examples, unlike paper versions, were waterproof and silent when folded and unfolded.
Smithsonian Institution, National Museum of American History, 1980.0318.03
metallic
measuring
tool
sun
curving line
portable
exploration
triangular
navigation
observation
nautical
planar
solar
Maps help us visualize information: data, circuits on microchips or ocean currents. To determine their location, navigators historically relied on angle-finding tools like the sextant and astrolabe. They gave real-time calculations just like today’s GPS or its next generation, the T-IMU.
wood case with painted dial on glass door, lead weights, paper
Smithsonian Institution, National Museum of American History, 317044
circles
domestic
timekeeping
time
measuring
tool
numbers
rectangular
gears
In early nineteenth-century America, clock-making changed from a craft to a factory process, in which machines mass-produced uniform, interchangeable parts. The desire was to make low-cost domestic clocks as economically as possible. This device’s case is an austere wooden box, whose glass door, with its reverse-painted numbers, serves as a dial.
Smithsonian Institution, National Museum of American History, 323719
The great European voyages of exploration and trade that began in the fifteenth century depended on a new kind of celestial-navigation tool, the mariner’s astrolabe. Together with astronomical tables, astrolabes helped mariners calculate a ship’s latitude on the open seas, based on the angle measured between the Sun or a specific star and the horizon or zenith.
Smithsonian Institution, National Museum of American History, 334625
circles
personal
timekeeping
decorative
time
measuring
tool
numbers
portable
dials
By the nineteenth century, affordable timepieces became available to a growing American middle class because they could be factory made. More than tools to keep time, pocket watches served as status symbols and fashion accessories, and achieved unexpected success during the Civil War, when they became a fad among Union soldiers.
Smithsonian Institution, National Museum of American History, 1977.0368.65
streamlined
communication
military
ovoid
curved
measuring
tool
smooth
innovative
navigation
observation
aviation
Radio loop antennas were navigation devices mounted on most World War II aircraft. To reduce aerodynamic drag (wind resistance), the antennas were encased in streamlined forms made of Bakelite, the first entirely synthetic plastic. Bakelite is lightweight; heat-, cold-, and water-resistant; and transparent to radio waves, making it the ideal material for the purpose.
Smithsonian Institution, National Museum of American History, 217544 (600 tuning forks); 248007 (61 tuning forks)
music
recording
measuring
tool
grid
innovative
sound
forks
The Grand Tonometer, perfected in the 1860s, turned the humble tuning fork into the most precise scientific instrument of the nineteenth century. The pitches of this original set of 670 separate forks extended over four octaves and afforded a perfect means for tuning any musical instrument.
Smithsonian Institution, National Museum of American History, 1989.0515.01
circles
recording
beads
measuring
tool
rectangular
mathematical
rectilinear
calculation
accountants
An abacus, a calculator, and a slide rule answer the question HOW MUCH? by means of very different techniques. The construction
of some of our greatest modern buildings was calculated using slide rules. For surveying complex sites and surfaces, 3D laser scanners achieve such high precision that the interior of an entire building can be represented in minute detail.
Smithsonian Institution, National Museum of American History, 1977.0460.01
instruction
circles
metallic
square
measuring
tool
numbers
mathematical
angular
calculation
rotation
An abacus, a calculator, and a slide rule answer the question HOW MUCH? by means of very different techniques. The construction
of some of our greatest modern buildings was calculated using slide rules. For surveying complex sites and surfaces, 3D laser scanners achieve such high precision that the interior of an entire building can be represented in minute detail.
Smithsonian Institution, National Museum of American History, 2010.3095.071
instruction
scale
measuring
tool
numbers
mathematical
rectilinear
calculation
hanging
An abacus, a calculator, and a slide rule answer the question HOW MUCH? by means of very different techniques. The construction
of some of our greatest modern buildings was calculated using slide rules. For surveying complex sites and surfaces, 3D laser scanners achieve such high precision that the interior of an entire building can be represented in minute detail.
Courtesy of Smithsonian Libraries, Cooper Hewitt Smithsonian Design Library
communication
dragons
decorative
measuring
tool
writing
books
astronomy
encyclopedic
calculation
knowledge
solar
planets
solar system
Detailed astrological and astronomical data and charts fill this lavish publication, which also includes twenty-one disks, or volvelles. The volvelle on the left, adorned with a many-headed dragon, can be rotated to predict solar eclipses, while the one on the right makes it possible to forecast eclipses of the Moon.
Department of Anthropology, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, E432083
personal
pattern
recording
squares
measuring
tool
triangles
interlaced
geometric
map
navigation
knowledge
Knowledge gained over generations by acute observation and experiencing the ocean’s behavior is visualized in these stick charts. Memorized by the navigator before a voyage, these charts mapped ocean swells and currents, as well as relative distances between islands. The combination of straight, curved, and intersecting lines resembles the visual language of grid maps.
compact, pulsed, dual-axis-compensated, very high-speed laser scanner, with survey-grade accuracy, range, and field-of-view; integrated camera and laser plummet
Courtesy of Leica Geosystems
digital
electronic
measuring
tool
laser
computing
calculation
observation
lens
A tool for high-definition surveying, this laser scanner measures to 0.635 cm (¼ in.) surfaces out to a distance of some 305 m (1,000 ft.). It then combines the millions of scanned data into a continuous 3D panoramic image, from which an instant measurement can be obtained by clicking on any two pixels in the 360-degree image.
Courtesy of MicroSystems Laboratory of the University of California, Irvine. The research is sponsored by the MicroSystems Technology Office of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency.
timekeeping
digital
recording
time
measuring
tool
folded
flat
computing
navigation
calculation
This high-resolution map shows six overlaid masks, or layers, the number needed to build a T-IMU chip. (See a chip in the case behind you.) The three circular structures are gyroscopes (for roll, pitch, and yaw), and the three square structures on faces of the
pyramid are accelerometers (to measure displacement along the x, y, and z axes). The smaller rectangular structure is a resonator (keeps track of time).
An abacus, a calculator, and a slide rule answer the question HOW MUCH? by means of very different techniques. The construction
of some of our greatest modern buildings was calculated using slide rules. For surveying complex sites and surfaces, 3D laser scanners achieve such high precision that the interior of an entire building can be represented in minute detail.
Gift of Ben Cerveny, Tom Carden, Jesper Andersen, and Robert Hodgin
personal
music
digital
measuring
tool
stars
innovative
space
moon
astronomy
sound
listening
data visualization
planets
solar system
Planetary is an interactive, fun, and elegant way to visualize data. Originally developed for the iPad, this software code enables the user to quantify and represent a music collection as a series of moving celestial bodies. Songs are moons, albums are planets, artists are suns. The source code for the app and its previous public versions are available online free of charge at https://github.com/cooperhewitt/planetary, along with programming notes and design sketches.
Courtesy of MicroSystems Laboratory of the University of California, Irvine. The research is sponsored by the MicroSystems Technology Office of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency.
This microscale navigation system advances the technology of high precision positioning and navigation for aircraft and missiles. When folded, its pyramid shape provides structural integrity and holds microscopic sensors: each face has a gyroscope or accelerometer sensor to detect motion, while a resonator tracks time.
Courtesy of MicroSystems Laboratory of the University of California, Irvine. The research is sponsored by the MicroSystems Technology Office of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency.
This microscale navigation system advances the technology of high precision positioning and navigation for aircraft and missiles. When folded, its pyramid shape provides structural integrity and holds microscopic sensors: each face has a gyroscope or accelerometer sensor to detect motion, while a resonator tracks time.
Courtesy of MicroSystems Laboratory of the University of California, Irvine. The research is sponsored by the MicroSystems Technology Office of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency.
This microscale navigation system advances the technology of high precision positioning and navigation for aircraft and missiles. When folded, its pyramid shape provides structural integrity and holds microscopic sensors: each face has a gyroscope or accelerometer sensor to detect motion, while a resonator tracks time.
Work
Pounding herbs, grasping out-of-reach objects, and performing surgery all require tools that fit into our hands. How we hold them and use them often determines the form and material that the designer chooses. Braided fiber and silicone rubber, for example, provide secure and even pleasing surfaces for gripping, yet each are chosen carefully for the intended task.
Some hand tools have been created for a single use, while others are multipurpose from the beginning. The classic teardrop shaped handaxe, which persisted for more than 1.5 million years, is an elegant example. Today's digital counterpart, the iPhone, with its multitude of applications, continues to expand its capabilities without physically changing size.
Hand tools:
Hand tools extend our physical capability to reach, throw, and catch, as well as to perform actions that are difficult if not impossible with bare hands and fingers. Specialized tasks—tonsil removal, halibut fishing—require unique shapes, distinct materials, and the maker’s personal touch to create an appropriate tool for the task.
How a tool fits the hand affects the quality and quantity of work. Spacesuit gloves protect, while allowing astronauts to perform manual activity in a vacuum: steel tips help prevent finger numbness—providing sensory feedback through the nail beds. The glove’s sharkskin improves grip sensation like the elastomer on Studio AmiDov’s flint tools or the silicon sleeve on the computer mouse.
A sharpened blade or honed point helps to make farming more efficient, perform surgery with extra precision, or enable hunting with greater success. Carved (bird dart), forged (throwing knives), or fractured (obsidian scalpel) to be razor-sharp, these tools also show how good design is found in the shape and at the edge.
Multipurpose tools:
There is a long tradition of technical economy, of individual tools performing multiple tasks—the ancient handaxe is an elegant example. It shares design features with the Victorinox@work and iPhone: portability, tactility, and good fit for the hand, yet each of their many functions reflects the particular needs and technology of its era.
The multitasking tool of the digital age, the iPhone has a light, well-balanced rectangular form that fits neatly in the hand. No tool has fulfilled as many functions or been accessible to such a range of users. Operated by simple finger gestures—swipe, pinch, drag—the iPhone transforms itself, without changing shape, into hundreds of different tools: a camera, flashlight, GPS device,.
Transferred from the US Department of Agriculture and Dr. E. W. Brandes, Department of Anthropology, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, E344858
fish
domestic
food preparation
water
hunting
women
baskets
woven
fishing
tool
work
cone
Hand tools extend our physical capability to reach, throw, and catch, as well as to perform actions that are difficult if not impossible with bare hands and fingers. Specialized tasks—tonsil removal, halibut fishing—require unique shapes, distinct materials, and the maker’s personal touch to create an appropriate tool for the task.
Department of Anthropology, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, E399972
men
fish
food preparation
water
hunting
fishing
tool
work
sharp
pointed
Hand tools extend our physical capability to reach, throw, and catch, as well as to perform actions that are difficult if not impossible with bare hands and fingers. Specialized tasks—tonsil removal, halibut fishing—require unique shapes, distinct materials, and the maker’s personal touch to create an appropriate tool for the task.
Department of Anthropology, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, A581650
food preparation
hunting
archaeology
tool
work
multipurpose
fluted
ritual
sharp
pointed
A sharpened blade or honed point helps to make farming more efficient, perform surgery with extra precision, or enable hunting with greater success. Carved (bird dart), forged (throwing knives), or fractured (obsidian scalpel) to be razor-sharp, these tools also show how good design is found in the shape and at the edge.
chert (from edwards chert formation located north of austin, texas)
Department of Anthropology, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, A581651
food preparation
hunting
archaeology
tool
work
multipurpose
fluted
ritual
sharp
pointed
A sharpened blade or honed point helps to make farming more efficient, perform surgery with extra precision, or enable hunting with greater success. Carved (bird dart), forged (throwing knives), or fractured (obsidian scalpel) to be razor-sharp, these tools also show how good design is found in the shape and at the edge.
Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, Transferred from NASA, 1973.0860.003
protection
tool
flexible
work
mobility
hands
space
astronauts
grips
How a tool fits the hand affects the quality and quantity of work. Spacesuit gloves protect, while allowing astronauts to perform manual activity in a vacuum: steel tips help prevent finger numbness—providing sensory feedback through the nail beds. The glove’s sharkskin improves grip sensation like the elastomer on Studio AmiDov’s flint tools or the silicon sleeve on the computer mouse.
Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, Transferred from NASA, Marshall Space Flight Center, A19761760074
tool
flexible
work
mobility
mechanical
space
astronauts
A reach tool for astronauts to pick up something beyond arm’s length or in too narrow a space, the low-tech mechanical finger is found in auto-supply or hardware stores. Pushing the plunger extends prongs that close around an object, which can be pulled or lifted. It was part of the tool kit for Skylab, the US space station occupied in 1973–74.
Smithsonian Institution, National Museum of American History, 1978.0874.02
metallic
gold
science
tool
health-care
mechanical
sharp
cutting
survival
medical
surgical
pointed
Hand tools extend our physical capability to reach, throw, and catch, as well as to perform actions that are difficult if not impossible with bare hands and fingers. Specialized tasks—tonsil removal, halibut fishing—require unique shapes, distinct materials, and the maker’s personal touch to create an appropriate tool for the task.
Smithsonian Institution, National Museum of American History, M-09850.01
metallic
science
health-care
sharp
handle
medical
observation
examination
forks
Hand tools extend our physical capability to reach, throw, and catch, as well as to perform actions that are difficult if not impossible with bare hands and fingers. Specialized tasks—tonsil removal, halibut fishing—require unique shapes, distinct materials, and the maker’s personal touch to create an appropriate tool for the task.
Smithsonian Institution, National Museum of American History, M-09857
metallic
science
tool
health-care
angular
sharp
cutting
medical
surgical
pointed
Hand tools extend our physical capability to reach, throw, and catch, as well as to perform actions that are difficult if not impossible with bare hands and fingers. Specialized tasks—tonsil removal, halibut fishing—require unique shapes, distinct materials, and the maker’s personal touch to create an appropriate tool for the task.
Collection of Glenn and Amanda Fuhrman, New York, Courtesy of the FLAG Art Foundation
artists
personal
art
exhibition
ovoid
sculpture
tool
recycling
observation
hanging
axis
rust
This frozen explosion of hand tools displays the very ones a visitor might expect in an exhibition about tools. In their hovering and dreamlike state, the saws, planes, and axes are completely removed from their normal contexts, suggesting alternative ways to consider them. The artist invites us to experience the optimal viewing point at the center, where a world of tools and possibilities are at our fingertips.
Collection of Lucien M. Turner, 1876, Saint Michael, Alaska, Department of Anthropology, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, E29847
food preparation
hunting
birds
curved
tool
work
sharp
pointed
A sharpened blade or honed point helps to make farming more efficient, perform surgery with extra precision, or enable hunting with greater success. Carved (bird dart), forged (throwing knives), or fractured (obsidian scalpel) to be razor-sharp, these tools also show how good design is found in the shape and at the edge.
Collected by Commodore Matthew C. Perry in 1853-54, Department of Anthropology, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, E378
curves
tool
work
flat
farming
agriculture
plain
Traditional Japanese hand tools are believed to embody a spiritual presence, instilled by an artisan’s wisdom and mastery of tool making. These skillfully forged instruments reflect a unique aesthetic value, which has been selectively passed down to apprentices through many generations. With a dwindling number of artisans, master craftsmen are now sharing their secrets to ensure their expertise will survive.
Collected by Commodore Matthew C. Perry in 1853-54, Department of Anthropology, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, E380
curved
tool
work
fluted
farming
agriculture
pointed
Traditional Japanese hand tools are believed to embody a spiritual presence, instilled by an artisan’s wisdom and mastery of tool making. These skillfully forged instruments reflect a unique aesthetic value, which has been selectively passed down to apprentices through many generations. With a dwindling number of artisans, master craftsmen are now sharing their secrets to ensure their expertise will survive.
Collected by Commodore Matthew C. Perry in 1853-54, Department of Anthropology, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, E385
curves
semi-circle
tool
work
sharp
farming
agriculture
pointed
Traditional Japanese hand tools are believed to embody a spiritual presence, instilled by an artisan’s wisdom and mastery of tool making. These skillfully forged instruments reflect a unique aesthetic value, which has been selectively passed down to apprentices through many generations. With a dwindling number of artisans, master craftsmen are now sharing their secrets to ensure their expertise will survive.
Collected by Commodore Matthew C. Perry in 1853-54, Department of Anthropology, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, E376
rounded
tool
rectangular
work
sharp
farming
agriculture
Traditional Japanese hand tools are believed to embody a spiritual presence, instilled by an artisan’s wisdom and mastery of tool making. These skillfully forged instruments reflect a unique aesthetic value, which has been selectively passed down to apprentices through many generations. With a dwindling number of artisans, master craftsmen are now sharing their secrets to ensure their expertise will survive.
Herbert Ward Collection, Department of Anthropology, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, E322652-6
metallic
war
organic
hunting
protection
tool
vegetal
work
sharp
pointed
defense
currency
These multibladed knives, made by professional blacksmiths, served for warfare and hunting, and as axes and currency. To be aerodynamic, a knife required a particular height–width ratio and standardized weight, and the handle was covered with braided fiber to maintain the tool’s balance. Knives were thrown either underhand horizontally from the hip or vertically over the shoulder.
iron, handle covered in bark cloth and tied with braided fiber
Herbert Ward Collection, Department of Anthropology, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, E322652-11
metallic
war
organic
hunting
protection
tool
vegetal
work
sharp
pointed
defense
currency
These multibladed knives, made by professional blacksmiths, served for warfare and hunting, and as axes and currency. To be aerodynamic, a knife required a particular height–width ratio and standardized weight, and the handle was covered with braided fiber to maintain the tool’s balance. Knives were thrown either underhand horizontally from the hip or vertically over the shoulder.
cowrie shell, worked stone, carved wood, cord, lashing
Collected by Dr. Nathaniel B. Emerson, exhibited at the Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition in Seattle, Washington, in 1909, Department of Anthropology, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, E257827
fish
food preparation
rounded
water
hunting
fishing
tool
work
food
rope
sharp
pointed
octopus
Hand tools extend our physical capability to reach, throw, and catch, as well as to perform actions that are difficult if not impossible with bare hands and fingers. Specialized tasks—tonsil removal, halibut fishing—require unique shapes, distinct materials, and the maker’s personal touch to create an appropriate tool for the task.
Collected by Dr. Nathaniel B. Emerson, exhibited at the Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition in Seattle, Washington, in 1909, Department of Anthropology, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, E257801
fish
food preparation
water
hunting
fishing
tool
work
food
rope
sharp
pointed
Hand tools extend our physical capability to reach, throw, and catch, as well as to perform actions that are difficult if not impossible with bare hands and fingers. Specialized tasks—tonsil removal, halibut fishing—require unique shapes, distinct materials, and the maker’s personal touch to create an appropriate tool for the task.
Collected by the United States Exploring Expedition, 1840, Department of Anthropology, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, E3513
domestic
animals
figurative
curved
protection
tool
work
eating
food
survival
medicinal
This pounder likely would have been used to grind medicinal herbs or possibly to prepare poi, the vegetable staple of a Hawaiian diet. Weighing less than 1.3 kg (3 lb.) it is more suitable for pulverizing herbs than a fibrous kalo plant. The stylized head of a mo’o, or lizard, forms the handle, providing a sculptural surface to grip.
Collection of John J. McLean, 1881, Baranof Island, Alaska, Department of Anthropology, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, E45990
fish
food preparation
water
hunting
fishing
tool
work
rope
sharp
pointed
Indigenous communities in Alaska were early practitioners of sustainable fishing. This fishhook suits exactly the anatomy of a halibut. The V-shaped gap insured that the intended catch was neither too large to haul into a boat nor too small. The skillful carving showed respect for the halibut, which would hopefully return in abundance and sustain the community.
Department of Anthropology, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, E399982
fish
food preparation
water
animals
hunting
figurative
fishing
tool
work
iridescent
pointed
Hand tools extend our physical capability to reach, throw, and catch, as well as to perform actions that are difficult if not impossible with bare hands and fingers. Specialized tasks—tonsil removal, halibut fishing—require unique shapes, distinct materials, and the maker’s personal touch to create an appropriate tool for the task.
Department of Archaeology, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Control number: 2065648, Field number: I-EgMK
domestic
food preparation
protection
tool
work
eating
food
rough
survival
jagged
medicinal
There is a long tradition of technical economy, of individual tools performing multiple tasks—the ancient handaxe is an elegant example. It shares design features with the Victorinox@work and iPhone: portability, tactility, and good fit for the hand, yet each of their many functions reflects the particular needs and technology of its era.
Department of Archaeology, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Control Number: 2065648, Loc. 77-IIV
domestic
food preparation
hunting
archaeology
tool
work
fluted
ceremony
ritual
sharp
organic line
cutting
pointed
There is a long tradition of technical economy, of individual tools performing multiple tasks—the ancient handaxe is an elegant example. It shares design features with the Victorinox@work and iPhone: portability, tactility, and good fit for the hand, yet each of their many functions reflects the particular needs and technology of its era.
Department of Anthropology, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, A146025
domestic
food preparation
hunting
archaeology
tool
work
multipurpose
fluted
ceremony
ritual
sharp
cutting
pointed
The teardrop-shaped handaxe persisted for more than 1.5 million years. The Swiss Army knife of its era, this object performed multiple actions, including woodworking, bone breaking, hide scraping, and butchery. With the hammerstone and chopper—both used for knapping sharp stone flakes—they were the tool kit for early humans.
How a tool fits the hand affects the quality and quantity of work. Spacesuit gloves protect, while allowing astronauts to perform manual activity in a vacuum: steel tips help prevent finger numbness—providing sensory feedback through the nail beds. The glove’s sharkskin improves grip sensation like the elastomer on Studio AmiDov’s flint tools or the silicon sleeve on the computer mouse.
How a tool fits the hand affects the quality and quantity of work. Spacesuit gloves protect, while allowing astronauts to perform manual activity in a vacuum: steel tips help prevent finger numbness—providing sensory feedback through the nail beds. The glove’s sharkskin improves grip sensation like the elastomer on Studio AmiDov’s flint tools or the silicon sleeve on the computer mouse.
A sharpened blade or honed point helps to make farming more efficient, perform surgery with extra precision, or enable hunting with greater success. Carved (bird dart), forged (throwing knives), or fractured (obsidian scalpel) to be razor-sharp, these tools also show how good design is found in the shape and at the edge.
“Big Bertha,” the world’s widest-diameter tunnel-boring machine, is digging a double-decker tunnel under Seattle. Simultaneously excavating earth and placing concrete tiles for the tunnel wall, this multitasking tool proves more efficient than drilling and blasting and least affects the surrounding area. The machine is named for Seattle’s first female mayor, Bertha Knight Landes.
There is a long tradition of technical economy, of individual tools performing multiple tasks—the ancient handaxe is an elegant example. It shares design features with the Victorinox@work and iPhone: portability, tactility, and good fit for the hand, yet each of their many functions reflects the particular needs and technology of its era.
The J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles, 84.XM.956.1066
art
public
black and white
tool
geometric
line
angular
photography
journalism
Tool Boxes
A toolbox is as unique and personal as its owner. The tools inside indicate the profession, but the container personifies the character, status, and skill of its owner. Ornamentation may conceal the box’s functional purpose, and some indigenous cultures even pay homage to the resources used to make it.
enamel on copper, gilt copper, steel, ivory, cut wood
Bequest of Sarah Cooper Hewitt
figures
travel
landscape
communication
floral
women
leisure
decorative
recording
tool
writing
portable
sewing
toolbox
hygiene
Georgian
This “compact” for delicate grooming, sewing, and writing implements includes scissors, tweezers, needle case, penknife, pencil, and an ivory tablet for lists that doubled as a reusable dance card.
A gentleman’s dressing case was boxed for travel, containing stylish, functional grooming implements above a drawer with writing surface and compartments for pen and inkwell.
Smithsonian Institution, National Museum of American History, 1977.1101.0167
instruction
figures
container
children
tool
typography
portable
toolbox
toys
Scaling objects for children has fascinated designers for centuries. Only adjustments to size and grip distinguish these functioning tools from their adult version.
Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, Transferred from NASA, Marshall Space Flight Center, A20110451000
metallic
utility
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rectangular
work
mechanical
handle
space
astronauts
toolbox
aluminum
Without a precedent for a spacecraft toolbox, NASA engineers turned to the familiar tool kits found in garages and workshops, adding features like Velcro® tabs for securing.
National Museum of the American Indian, Smithsonian Institution, 4/8457
domestic
women
curved
tool
rope
sharp
sewing
making
pointed
Shapely ivory points were used to perforate thin skins or gut, with strips of hide, sinew, or fiber threaded or tied to the awl for sewing. The variety of sizes reflects the range of thicknesses of the materials.
National Museum of the American Indian, Smithsonian Institution, 3/6271
domestic
women
curved
tool
tapered
sharp
sewing
making
pointed
Shapely ivory points were used to perforate thin skins or gut, with strips of hide, sinew, or fiber threaded or tied to the awl for sewing. The variety of sizes reflects the range of thicknesses of the materials.
Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of John Gellatly, 1929.8.245.26
figures
container
landscape
communication
floral
women
leisure
decorative
recording
tool
writing
portable
toolbox
Georgian
This highly decorative “trifle” for a lady was designed for a letter-writing era. Its tightly packed interior includes an adjustable penholder and two cut-glass vials for ink.
Smithsonian Institution, National Museum of American History, 302606.773
container
collapsible
science
tool
rectangular
folded
health-care
organization
flat
medical
toolbox
observation
surgical
examination
Elegantly designed, specialized surgical tool sets like this one for the removal of stones from the kidney or bladder were sources of pride for physicians.
Collection of Lucien M. Turner, 1882, Department of Anthropology, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, E65272
container
personal
domestic
women
beads
tool
line
flat
sewing
toolbox
opaque
This gut bag contained sewing tools for making waterproof and windproof garments and accessories from sea-mammal intestine. Sewing and transforming it into “cloth” were reserved for women.
Collection of Edward W. Nelson, 1879, Gift of Edward W. Nelson, Department of Anthropology, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, E36240
container
personal
rounded
ovoid
women
tool
sewing
handle
toolbox
A Yup'ik woman’s workbox safeguarded her most precious tools and materials: scrapers, awls, yarn and other fibers, and needle cases. Turned over, it became a cutting board.
anodized, cnc-milled, drilled, and laser-pierced aluminum, arsenic-free glass, polycarbonate
Gift of Apple
personal
metallic
home
rounded
communication
digital
storage
offices
tool
organization
flat
lightweight
innovative
keyboard
computing
making
software
toolbox
aluminum
A toolbox for the digital age, the MacBook Air preserves the analog era in its toolbar’s icons, while constantly adding new implements through applications and software.
