Rickenbacker Radiator Emblem, circa 1925

Summary

An automobile manufacturer's badge is fundamental to the company's brand identity -- just as the maker's name is often important to our identity as consumers and drivers. Early automobile badges tended to be small and often discreetly located; today they have evolved into enlarged, prominently placed, and frequently symmetrical logos -- easy to recognize, even at a glance in a rear-view mirror.

An automobile manufacturer's badge is fundamental to the company's brand identity -- just as the maker's name is often important to our identity as consumers and drivers. Early automobile badges tended to be small and often discreetly located; today they have evolved into enlarged, prominently placed, and frequently symmetrical logos -- easy to recognize, even at a glance in a rear-view mirror.

Artifact

Radiator emblem

Date Made

circa 1925

Creators

Rickenbacker Motor Company 

Place of Creation

United States, Michigan, Detroit 

Creator Notes

Made for the Rickenbacker Motor Company, Detroit, Michigan.

Driving America
 On Exhibit

at Henry Ford Museum in Driving America

Object ID

86.129.111

Credit

From the Collections of The Henry Ford.

Material

Zinc alloy
Copper alloy
Enamel (Fused coating)

Technique

Cloisonne
Die casting

Color

White (Color)
Black (Color)
Blue
Copper (Color)
Red

Dimensions

Height: 1.813 in

Width: 2.125 in

Thickness: 0.04 in

Inscriptions

On front: RICKENBACKER / MOTOR CO. DETROIT / REG. U.S. PAT. OFF.

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