Model of a Crane c. 1750 - 1807

This is an anonymous model of a crane, made with wood and metal. The object offers insight into how technology was understood and presented to society. Machines like this existed in the 18th and 19th centuries, in workshops or factories. What is interesting here is that the model isolates the technology from its practical function and presents it as something to be observed. The surrounding wooden frame almost ‘exhibits’ the inner workings of the machine. We might consider this model of a crane to be analogous to the rise of museums as places where objects were isolated, classified, and made available for the public to observe and learn from. It is an early example of what we call 'technology transfer', using the circulation of models to educate people about machines. To better understand the social role of this object, one might look into the display culture of the time, studying how science and technology were communicated in instruction manuals, encyclopedias, museums, and world fair exhibitions.