Boa Constrictor Automobile Horn, circa 1910
Add to SetSummary
Motor vehicles can be dangerous if you don't hear them coming. Early automobiles were required to have some sort of horn to alert pedestrians, animals and horse-drawn vehicles. Some motorists used whistles or bells. Others installed brass, bulb horns. In addition to the sound this horn made, its snake-like appearance provided an added incentive to move quickly out of the way.
Motor vehicles can be dangerous if you don't hear them coming. Early automobiles were required to have some sort of horn to alert pedestrians, animals and horse-drawn vehicles. Some motorists used whistles or bells. Others installed brass, bulb horns. In addition to the sound this horn made, its snake-like appearance provided an added incentive to move quickly out of the way.
Artifact
Vehicle horn
Date Made
circa 1910
Place of Creation
On Exhibit
On Loan - Shanghai Auto Museum (Anting, Shanghai, China)
Object ID
68.19.4
Credit
From the Collections of The Henry Ford. Gift of Samuel L. Scher, M.D.
Material
Nickel (Metal)
Rubber (Material)
Inscriptions
On plate: BOA-CONSTRICTOR HORN/ LICENSED UNDER/ BRIT PATENT 2774808/ BRITISH MANUFACTURE/ 4709