Object Details
Description
This radiator emblem belonged to a Bour-Davis automobile that was manufactured by the Louisiana Motor Car Company of Shreveport, Louisiana from 1918 until 1922. The company was founded in Detroit by Charles Bour and Robert C. Davis and produced its first automobile in 1916, before eventually moving to Frankfort, Indiana and finally finding its most success in Louisiana. The radiator emblem is a triangular-shaped piece of metal with the text “Bour Davis” going from small at the ends to large at the center.
Radiator emblems are small, colorful metal plates bearing an automobile manufacturer's name or logo that attached to the radiators grilles of early automobiles. Varying in shape and size, the emblems served as a small branding device, sometimes indicating the type of engine, place of manufacturing, or using an iconic image or catchy slogan to advertise their cars make and model. This emblem is part of the collection that was donated by Hubert G. Larson in 1964.
Location
Currently not on view
Credit Line
Hubert G. Larson
ID Number
TR.325528.030
accession number
260303
catalog number
325528.030
Object Name
emblem, radiator
Other Terms
emblem, radiator; Road; Automobile
See more items in
Work and Industry: Transportation, Road
Radiator Emblems
Transportation
Road Transportation
Data Source
National Museum of American History
Link to Original Record
Record ID
nmah_840227