Protecting Michigan State's Material Culture
Construction along Service Road in 2020 found a mid-20th-century midden. The artifacts found were associated with the history of temporary post-World War II student housing on Michigan State’s campus. After the Servicemen’s Readjustment Act of 1944, or the GI Bill, became law, college enrollment increased …
This last summer, I had the amazing opportunity to be a part of CAP Crew, the group of MSU Archaeology (or archaeology-curious) students that conduct the compliance archaeology during the summer. Although, there is significantly more paperwork and lab work than there is fieldwork – …
A Salty Tale
I wanted this blog to be about patents, not Ruth Van Tellingen. Or should I call her Ruth Bendel? Or Ruth Elizabeth Thompson? I’m getting ahead of myself. Before we delve into Ruth’s life, let’s review the concept of patents as they pertain to archaeology.
As many know, a patent refers to a legally-recognized title on intellectual property that allows an individual or group to control the production and sale of specific designs. In the U.S. patents, as a legal concept, extend back to the late 1600s when some individual states would grant legal rights to an idea or invention. Federal interventions on designs and innovations were not introduced until The Patent Act of 1790. The registration number associated with a granted patent is often printed on items that become artifacts. These numbers provide a multi-tool for archaeological interpretations. With them, we can often identify a purpose or maker of an artifact and a period for the use and production of an item. Sometimes, patents allow us to discover unexpected insights into our social pasts.
The CAP Patent that Gave Paws
About a year ago, I was sitting in the CAP lab researching a ceramic bear. The item was uncovered during our 2020 Service Road Construction Project (read more here). We had plans to use the artifact in a conference presentation covering Children’s lives on MSU’s campus (read more here).
When searching the patent for the bear I found that it is not merely a decorative item, but rather a clever and original design for two interlocking condiment dispensers (salt, pepper, oil, etc.) (read more here). Something else caught my attention– something other than the unconventional nickname, “Huggers”. It was the title associated with the patent, filed on May 6th, 1947… The name belonged to… a woman?
Ruth Van Tellingen Bendel. Let me be clear. I was not surprised a woman had invented a new design or kindled an original concept. My eyebrows were raised because the idea was documented and credited to her. Archeologists, like anyone looking into the past, generally struggle to find and verify diversity in the past, especially when it comes to historically marginalized or oppressed groups. Without identifiers like patents, it can be difficult, if not impossible, to identify who created something. Objects themselves do not have social identities– humans assign them. And because restricted and privileged groups have historically held the pen that writes the Western narrative, many historical accounts overestimate the contributions of certain individuals to society. In the same stroke, the experiences of people outside of the most privileged circles have been silenced or ignored (1).
Woman with a Peppered Past
So what can we know about the creator of this patent? Ruth Elizabeth Thompson was born in Hinsdale, Illinois, in 1910. Census records tell us she married Oscar Van Tellingen, a salesman from Iowa, and assumed the role of a “Housewife and commercial artist” by the age of 30 (see census data below).
Her artistry, including several children’s books, received mixed reviews (2). While active in illustration, she also commissioned figurines created for the Chicago Royal China and Novelty Company (3), including the multiple Huggers in different animal forms. Her interlocking bear design was conceived in 1947, but not submitted for a patent until 1949. Our bear lacks the name “Bendel,” which Ruth added after her second marriage to Victor T. Bendel, in 1948. It is therefore likely one of the first bears off the production line.
Ruth’s shaker patent, granted in 1951, preceded the women’s liberation movement (4) in the United States by more than a decade. Women first patented a product in the U.S. in 1809, but as of 2020, the percentage of self-identified women contributing to annual patents remains less than 22% (5; 6). By the time she died in 1986, Ruth had acquired at least two more patents, several copyrights, and was listed as an author on multiple books. Between two CAP fellows, we found seven names associated with Ruth’s life. Even by today’s standards, her intellectual capital and enigmatic flair for unique titles would be considered remarkable.
Time to Shake It Up
Want to explore patents yourself? Here are two possible methods:
https://patft.uspto.gov/netahtml/PTO/srchnum.htm
In the “Query” box type in the patent number.
For example, Ruth’s patent no. 2,560,755.
The landing page should provide a patent number and issue date. To view the scanned file, click “Images” at the bottom. Have in mind that most patents are a few pages long, so you’ll want to download more than the landing page of the PDF. It is also worthwhile to note that some patents may have a number in front of them, which indicates the type of patent represented.
Type in the name or number and anything affiliated with an individual should show. Between patents and copyrights, we found the following names associated with our Ruth to stamp her intellectual and artistic endeavors. Give ‘er a go and see what you find.
Ruth Elizabeth Thompson.
Ruth E. Van Tellingen.
Ruth Thompson Van Tellingen.
Ruth Van Tellingen Bendel.
Ruth V. Bendel.
Ruth Bendel.
Ruth Thompson Bendel.
References
Greetings! For those of you just joining our blog for the first time, I am Dr. Camp, the Director of the MSU Campus Archaeology Program (CAP). I am entering my 5th year here at MSU, and my 13th teaching as a tenure track faculty member …
Wow! Our summer season in 2021 was a complete turnaround from the 2020. The MSU graduate student archaeologists who joined CAP Crew this year worked on four major field and laboratory projects. From May to late-August members of the CAP Crew completed a federal compliance …
In December of 2020, CAP was proud to be included in the Society for Historical Archaeology’s (SHA) Newsletter for winter 2020 (download here). In an article written by CAP director Dr. Stacey L. Camp, former Campus Archaeologist Autumn Painter, and current Campus Archaeologist Jeff Burnett, we shared what it was like to continue the Campus Archaeology Program during the COVID-19 pandemic. An interactive version of the newsletter can be found at the bottom of this post. Be sure to click through all of the image slideshows!
The newsletter, edited by Dr. Patricia M. Samford, director of the Maryland Archaeological Conservation Laboratory, includes a statement on the SHA’s anti-racism and diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts by SHA president Dr. Barbara Heath, an anti-racism statement by the Advisory Council on Underwater Archaeology, memorials for archaeologists who passed in 2020, as well as updates on many research projects in global historical archaeology.
CAP’s article (pages 25 – 28) is included in a section on the archaeology of the Midwest of the United States, organized by Dr. Lynn L.M. Evans, curator of archaeology for Mackinac State Historic Parks. Other great additions to this section are an update on the “Ongoing Activities of the Fort St. Joseph Archaeological Project” by Erika K. Hartley, Fort St. Joseph Curatorial Fellow and Field Director, and a discussion of a mapping project exploring a mill exposed during Michigan’s Edenville Dam failure last May by Dr. Sarah Surface-Evans and her colleagues.
We hope you enjoy learning more about our work in 2020 and the various ways we share our research. Check out all of the other great news on historical archaeology from the past year!
Over the next few days MSU will be welcoming some students back and opening up for some in-person and many virtual classes. For CAP, the beginning of a new semester would typically mean welcoming new undergraduate interns, preparing outreach events, and jumping back into our …
Greetings from Dr. Camp, the Director of the MSU Campus Archaeology Program. This summer has been one of great concern for our community and nation as well as one where we have had to rethink how we approach Campus Archaeology amid a global pandemic. Under …
While the ground may be covered with inches of snow, CAP is looking ahead to plan for summer construction, in addition to our undergraduate archaeological field school.
As you would have read in a previous blog post, the field school will be taking place near the corner of Shaw and Hagadorn Roads by Holmes Hall. We will be working there from May 13th through June 7th. Stay tuned for the announcement of our public open house day!
There are several construction projects slated to begin this summer!
First, Munn Ice Arena will be under construction for an expansion along the south side of the building. This construction will create a new public “front door” that will include an area for a memorabilia exhibit, additional concessions, new office space, among many other improvements! For this project, we will perform both a pedestrian and shovel test survey of the area before the construction begins, as well as monitor for archaeological remains during the construction process.
The second major construction project for this summer is the new sewer line being put in behind the Brody Complex. If you did not know, the Brody Complex is at the location of a historic East Lansing dump. While this project is being run by the City of East Lansing, not MSU, we are still planning on being present during the excavation phase of construction, as there is a high probability of artifacts being uncovered. This is a great opportunity for CAP to recover artifacts for use in teaching and as well as comparative items.
Third, it is possible that Cowles House, otherwise known as the President’s House, will undergo an addition and site renovations. As we were informed about this project last spring, we have already conducted both a pedestrian survey and a shovel test survey of the potentially impacted area. If this project begins this summer, you will find us monitoring the construction for any archaeological materials.
Finally, a project is slated to begin in the summer of 2020, expanding the south river trail between Bogue Street and Farm Lane, adding a bike path similar to one that exists near the Stadium. For this project, we will conduct shovel tests this summer in preparation for the construction, and will monitor the work in 2020.
Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram to stay up-to-date on where we are and what we are doing this summer!
Author: Autumn Painter
As the weather warms and summer gets closer, the Campus Archaeology Program is gearing up for yet another busy season. While our excavations occur primarily in the summer, months of planning and preparation take place before the first trowel is stuck in the dirt. Many …
