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Structo Toy Tractor

National Museum of American History

Object Details

Description
The Structo High-Wheel Tractor was produced by Structo Manufacturing Company of Freeport, Illinois. It was a generic lightweight tractor model and came with an attached trailer. Founded in 1908, Structo made toy construction sets before selling the patents to A.C. Gilbert Company, the well-known manufacturer of ERECTOR sets. Structo then started manufacturing “Auto-Builder” kits, including the High-Wheel Tractor, that children could assemble into working models. One advertisement proclaimed, “Build a racing car, a classy, roadster-type car, a big, strong truck or a dandy farm tractor.” Structo also made “Ready-Built” toys that required no assembly. In the early 20th century, mechanical toys were popular for boys. These toys celebrated technological advances and were supposed to be a boy’s first step toward a prosperous career in a new world of machines. Structo’s tagline was, “Structo Toys Make Men of Boys.” Companies advertised these toys in magazines targeted at boys or their fathers, such as Boys’ Life, Youth’s Companion, and Popular Mechanics.
Credit Line
Gift of the Toy Manufacturers of the United States, New York, New York
1920 - 1929
ID Number
AG.19A01.1
catalog number
19A01.1
accession number
64098
Object Name
toy tractor
tractor, toy
Physical Description
metal (overall material)
Measurements
overall: 6 in x 7 in x 11 1/2 in; 15.24 cm x 17.78 cm x 29.21 cm
See more items in
Work and Industry: Agriculture
Industry & Manufacturing
American Enterprise
Exhibition
American Enterprise
Exhibition Location
National Museum of American History
National Museum of American History
Record ID
nmah_862001
Metadata Usage (text)
CC0
GUID (Link to Original Record)
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ng49ca746a6-d1df-704b-e053-15f76fa0b4fa
There are restrictions for re-using this image. For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Terms of Use page .
International media Interoperability Framework
IIIF provides researchers rich metadata and media viewing options for comparison of works across cultural heritage collections. Visit the IIIF page to learn more.
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