This object is currently on display in room 105 as part of Give Me a Sign: The Language of Symbols. There is one other image of this object. See our image rights statement.

 

Object Timeline

  • We acquired this object.

1964

  • Work on this object began.

1974

  • Work on this object ended.

2021

2023

2025

  • You found it!

Reproduction, Dashboard with Operator Controls in John Deere Agricultural Vehicle

This is a Reproduction. It was from the office of Henry Dreyfuss Associates and made for (as the client) Deere & Company. It is dated ca. 1969. Its medium is 35mm slide. It is a part of the department.


An image is easier to read in a limited space—such as on a control knob or a keyboard button—than a written caption. In the 1960s, as John Deere started selling farm equipment around the world, Dreyfuss and his design team placed symbols on all controls and instruments for the safety and ease of Deere’s global users.


Using the example of a Deere vehicle dashboard’s knobs and levers, the Symbol Sourcebook pointed out how three-dimensional shapes can also be symbols. The fluted, round, notched, and perforated shapes shown here are recognized by the operator’s touch in addition to sight.

It is credited Henry Dreyfuss Archive.

Its dimensions are

variable

This object was previously on display as a part of the exhibition Give Me a Sign: The Language of Symbols.

There are restrictions for re-using this image. For more information, visit the Smithsonian’s Terms of Use page.

For higher resolution or commercial use contact ArtResource.

If you would like to cite this object in a Wikipedia article please use the following template:

<ref name=CH>{{cite web |url=https://www-4.collection.cooperhewitt.org/objects/2318807657/ |title=Reproduction, Dashboard with Operator Controls in John Deere Agricultural Vehicle |author=Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum |accessdate=5 February 2025 |publisher=Smithsonian Institution}}</ref>