Object Record
Images
Metadata
Title |
Padlock and Key |
Object Name |
Padlock |
Object ID |
2012.565AB |
Description |
Padlock (A) and Key (B); (A) Square, dull bronze, heavy metal padlock with keyhole at bottom and U-shaped pivoting lock joint at top; company's brand etched on front face (B) Silver color metal key with etched inscriptions on both sides of tab; circular hole at top of key |
Dimensions |
H-2.75 W-1.75 D-0.75 inches |
Material |
Metal |
Made |
Hercules Powder Company |
Search Terms |
Hardware Hercules Powder Company Locks and Keys Implements, Utensils, Etc. |
Provenance |
The Hercules Powder Company was one of the several small explosives companies acquired by the Du Pont Company in the 1880s. By the beginning of the 20th century, Du Pont had absorbed so many of its competitors that it was producing two-thirds of the dynamite and gunpowder sold in the United States. In 1912, a federal court, citing the Sherman Anti-Trust Act, ordered Du Pont broken up. It was through this court-ordered action that the Hercules Powder Company was reborn, a manufacturer of explosives ostensibly separate from Du Pont. |