THE STORY OF HENRY E. BAKER
And why we know what we know about Early African American Inventors
Henry Edwin Baker, 1857-1928 (c. 1902)
"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 chronicled by Henry E. Baker.
Baker was an African American visionary who overcame racial barriers through perseverance and the transformative power of knowledge, becoming a tireless advocate for African American inventors. His legacy is one of ingenuity, empowerment, and equality, as he worked to document and celebrate the contributions of the underrepresented, fostering recognition and justice through his groundbreaking efforts with the assistance of the United States Patent Office of early 1900’s.
Henry Edwin Baker of Columbus, Mississippi, worked for the U.S. Patent Office beginning in 1877 as a copyist. In 1902 he attained the rank of Assistant Patent Examiner. With the assistance of the U.S. Patent Office, Baker initiated a campaign complete with letter-writing, flyers, and ads, to solicit information from patent attorneys, company presidents, manufacturers, newspaper editors, Black leaders, and more, requesting they respond to the Patent Office with any African American inventors they were aware of. Using the responses from the campaign, he followed up where needed, verified and 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 along with examples of African American innovations.
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 and upcoming eBook release our curated list of inventions and inventors which includes Baker's Paris 1900 Exposition (Exposition Universelle 1900).
