Ernst Plank Toy Steam Engine: Museum Object and Cultural History

The object in the museum catalogue

This steam engine toy was made by Ernst Plank of Nuremburg, Germany, during the early 20th century. The toy consists of large boiler connected to a turbine with a steam line.

Ernst Plank founded his company in Nuremburg, Germany in 1866. The company was well known for manufacturing a variety of metal toys like steam locomotives, stationary steam engines, early photography equipment, and magic lanterns until its dissolution in 1935.

Materials, dates and provenance

• date made: ca 1900
• Object Name: toy, turbine
• Physical Description: tin (overall material)
• Measurements: overall - from catalog card: 8 1/2 in x 7 1/2 in x 7 1/2 in; 21.59 cm x 19.05 cm x 19.05 cm
• Measurements: overall: 8 1/2 in x 7 1/4 in x 7 1/4 in; 21.59 cm x 18.415 cm x 18.415 cm
• place made: Germany: Bavaria, Nuremberg
• ID Number: MC.329049
• catalog number: 329049
• accession number: 278175
• Credit Line: Bequest of the Estate of Greville I. Bathe
• Data Source: National Museum of American History

Sources and reuse

Catalogue descriptions and facts adapted from National Museum of American History through the Smithsonian's official Open Access dataset. This record explicitly marks its metadata CC0 1.0; formatting and selection have been changed.