Skip to main content
Collections Menu
Image courtesy of the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum.
Image courtesy of the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum.
Tank Model
Image courtesy of the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum.
Image courtesy of the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum.

Tank Model

Artifact IDMO 1943.234.7
Object Type Model, Instructional
Maker (American, founded 1940)
Gifter
Dateca. 1943
Mediumpaint on metal, rubber
Dimensionsoverall H 3 1/2 in x W 6 15/16 in x D 3 3/16 in (8.9 cm x 17.6 cm x 8.1 cm )
Physical DescriptionA small, olive-drab scale model of a U.S. Army tank with white star insignias and FRANKLIN D. ROOSEVELT painted on one side. A sticker adhered to the underside has typed text reading: VISUAL AIDS / Model Section Tactics Dept. / THE ARMORED FORCE SCHOOL / Fort Knox, Ky.
Historical NoteDuring his far-flung wartime inspection tours, President Roosevelt often received models and other gifts from workers and staff in defense factories and military facilities. During the President’s April 30, 1943 inspection tour of Kentucky’s Fort Knox, Master Sergeant Ivan H. Howitz, gave FDR this model tank— a visual aid used at the base’s Armored Force School. It is on display in the MOBILIZING THE PEOPLE exhibit in the Museum’s WORLD WAR II gallery.
Additional Details
Custodial History NoteDeposited at the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum by Franklin D. Roosevelt on June 1, 1943. It was donated as a bequest of FDR to the Library in 1947.
Credit LineEstate of Franklin D. Roosevelt
National Archives Catalog CollectionFranklin D. Roosevelt Library Museum Collection (National Archives Identifier 735948)
National Archives Catalog SeriesGift Items and Commemorative Artifacts (National Archives Identifier 782690)
Use Restriction StatusUnrestrictedCopyrightReproduction or other use of these holdings or images thereof is unrestricted.
In Collection(s)
Exhibitions
On view
Related Links