m 



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Figure qi. — Trowel used by Presi- 

 dent Ulysses S. Grant in laying the 

 cornerstone of the Museum of 

 Natural History, New York Cit>-. 

 Gift of Julia Dent Grant and Wil- 

 liam H. Vanderbilt. In Division of 

 Pohtical History. (Ace. 18528, 

 cat. 3004; Smithsonian photo 

 45992-A.) 



In grateful acknowledgement of the moral and financial aid 

 given by the women of America through Carrie Chapman 

 Catt to the women of the Philippines through the Inter- 

 national Federation of Women's Clubs in their struggles for 

 their political rights culminating in ultimate victory in 

 April. '937- 



FOR SPORTS EVENTS 



The earliest of the sports trophies in the collection 

 is an ornate belt (fig. 19) made of blue velvet upon 

 which are mounted five engraved silver plates con- 

 nected by silver straps. On the center plate is the 

 inscription: 



6 Days Bicycle Champion Belt of Scotland Won by H. W. 

 Higham Nottingham igth June 1880 Contested at Glasgow 

 One of the two adjoining smaller plates has an en- 

 graving of a man riding a high-wheeled bicycle, and 

 the other has an engraving of a man standing beside a 

 similar bicycle. The two outer plates are engraved 

 with Scottish coats of arms. The belt is 34)^ inches 

 long and 3 inches wide. 



Trophies were awarded for competition among the 

 various makes of cars almost as early as the advent of 

 the automobile itself. The earliest such trophy in the 

 Museum's collection is a three-handled, cut-glass cup " 

 with a wide silv-er rim on which is engraved: 

 Automobile Club of New Jersey. Eagle Rock Hill Climbing 

 Contest. First Prize Nov. 5, 1901. 



The prize was won by Charles E. Duryea who drove 

 an automobile of his own manufacture. 



Most important of the automobile tro|)hies was the 

 Vanderbilt Cup (fig. 20) for racing, which was estab- 

 lished by William K. Vanderbilt, Jr., in 1904 to bring 

 the best cars of foreign make to the United States so 

 that domestic manufacturers could observe them. It 

 is believed that the trophy contributed in this way to 

 the rapid development of the automobile in the United 

 States. The Vanderbilt Cup races were held annually 

 in the United States under the auspices of the Ameri- 

 can Automobile Association. 



The silver cup, measuring 23 inches high and 20 

 inches in diameter and weighing about 40 pounds, is 

 engra\ed with statistics of the various races — such as 

 dates, winners, types of cars, distances, and times." 



"Gift of Mrs. Charles Duryea (ace. 144429, cat. 311338), 

 Division of Transportation, USNM. 



" Statistics on the cup for the races held from 1904 to 1916 

 are an interesting record of the development of the automobile. 

 For instance, the winning speed increased from 52.2 miles per 

 hour in 1904 to 86.99 miles per hour in 1916. 



PAPER 47: PRESENTATION PIECES 



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