Prototype Experimental Helmet Model 2
Manufacturermanufactured by
Worcester Pressed Steel
(United States, 1905–1975)
Date1917
Mediumsteel
Dimensions27 × 27 × 37 cm (10 5/8 × 10 5/8 × 14 9/16 in.), 2 lb (weight)
ClassificationsArms and Armor
Credit LineThe John Woodman Higgins Armory Collection
Object number2014.2
DescriptionSkull of a single sheet of fairly light steel, hand forged. There is a light sagittal ridge, and a blunted point on the peak. A thin band of very light steel has been hammered around the perimeter edge to finish it.Label TextArmor began coming back into common use after 1900. Since the west no longer had a tradition of armor design, military leaders looked to history to provide ideas. This experimental helmet was produced for the U.S. Department of War during World War I. The designer was Bashford Dean, curator of armor at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, who based his design on medieval models. In order to create and assess the prototype, Dean turned to Worcester industrialist John Woodman Higgins. The collaboration between these two men set Higgins on the path to building America's second largest collection of armor. ProvenanceWorcester Pressed Steel Collection transfer from Higgins Armory, January 2014
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