DuPont Radiator Emblem

This radiator emblem belonged to a Du Pont automobile that was manufactured by Du Pont Motors Inc. of Wilmington, Delaware between 1919 and 1931. The Du Pont company was owned by E. Paul Du Pont, not to be confused by Pierre S. Du Pont, president of the E. I. Eu Pont de Nemours and Company. Originally organized to produce marine engines for the war effort, the armistice forced Du Pont to go in a different direction, and their automobile division was born. The company produced a variety of cars in different body types from 1919 until 1932, when the company went into receivership. The emblem reads “dP/Du Pont”.

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.

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