United States National Museum. Division of Engineering

Although the Division of Engineering was not established until 1931, its origins date back to 1885, when the Section of Steam Transportation was created in the Department of Arts and Industries, United States National Museum (USNM). The divisions and sections dealing with physical apparatus, physical science, technology, electricity, engineering, transportation and their modern counterparts all share a common derivation from this Section, and curators often served in several positions at the same time.

In 1885 J. Elfreth Watkins was appointed Curator of the Section of Steam Transportation, which was successively known as Transportation and Engineering, and Technological Collections. During his absence from 1892 to 1895, William Crawford Winlock served in that capacity.

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