"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 stems from a unique and rare collection of African American inventors and their inventions, as chronicled by Henry E. Baker in the early 1900s.
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.
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 information on any African American inventors they were aware of. Baker verified each response and ultimately compiled one of the most important records in African American history—a verified authentic collection of inventions by African Americans in the 1800s and early 1900s. Without this record, we would not have known the magnitude of African Americans' contribution to American society and the world.
In his book,
The Colored Inventor: A Record of 50 Years, published in 1913, Baker details his study and his work and provides insightful commentary with examples of African American innovations.
For a deeper dive into the fascinating life story and career journey of Henry E. Baker, as well as the inventors from his list, begin by downloading our
free eBook,
Celebrating INNOVATION: 12 Inventions by African American Inventors from Baker’s List of Over 400 Inventions (1800s–early 1900s). The eBook features 12 remarkable creations, depicted in vibrant, full-color 3D illustrations based on the original patent drawings submitted by the inventors.
Soon to be released is the second of three publications,
BAKER’S LIST of "Colored" Inventors: Over 400 Inventions by African Americans (1821–1980). The aim of these books is to place within your grasp hundreds of African American inventions and give you tools to take charge of your own educational journey.
