"It is not so apparent, however, to the general public that along the line of inventions also the colored race has made surprising and substantial progress; and that it has followed, even if "after off," the footsteps of the more favored race. And it is highly important, therefore, that we should make note of what the race has achieved along this line to the end that proper credit may be accorded as having made some contribution to our national progress" (Baker, 1913, p. 1-2).
Our inspiration for this project comes from a distinctive and rare collection of African American inventors and inventions. Our partial list from 1845 to 1980 (
shared here) originates almost entirely—with later-dated exceptions—from a rare, much larger list compiled by Henry E. Baker between the late 1800s and the early 1900s.
Henry Edwin Baker of Columbus, Mississippi, was an African American who worked for the U.S. Patent Office beginning in 1877 as a copyist. In 1902 he attained the rank of Assistant Patent Examiner. Since the U.S. Patent Office does not record racial identification or cultural traits on patent applications, Henry E. Baker took it upon himself to list African Americans to whom the U.S. government had granted patents.
To accomplish this, Baker made a mark—only recognizable by him—on the forms of known African American inventors who obtained patents from the U.S. Patent Office. Additionally, he initiated a letter-writing campaign to solicit information from patent attorneys, company presidents, newspaper editors, and Black leaders, asking them to list any African American inventors they knew. Using the marked forms and replies from his letter-writing campaign, he compiled one of the most important records in African American history. Without this record, we would not have known the magnitude of African Americans' contribution to American society and the world.
Henry E. Baker's efforts resulted in the publishing of four volumes of patent drawings of inventions by African Americans—affectionately referred to as the "colored" race by Baker. Henry E. Baker's collection listed some 1,200 inventions at the time. His book,
The Colored Inventor: A Record of 50 Years, published in 1913, details his study and his work and provided insightful commentary on his logic.
For a deeper dive into Henry E. Baker’s fascinating life of overcoming racial opposition, his successes, and career journey, please stay tuned for our upcoming book about Henry E. Baker. Meanwhile, enjoy a free list of known, early African American inventors and inventions. See below.
