ZAMBONI PATENT 1949 “Ice Rink Resurfacing Machine”

By Miriam Kleiman, Public Affairs, in honor of Zamboni drivers Alex B (NGA's Sculpture Garden Ice Rink) and Uncle Hank (Northern MI University).

Alex rocks the Zamboni at the National Gallery of Art Sculpture Garden Ice Rink, 12/29/22, image by Miriam Kleiman.

Ever wonder about the incredibly cool “Ice Rink Resurfacing Machine” (aka Zamboni)?

We’ve got the patent! See all 124 pages in our Online Catalog (NARA ID 117724382).

Thanks to the Zamboni, the ice was smooth enough for this talented monkey! See Ice Skating Chimpanzee, 1963 (The Unwritten Record).

Excerpt from the release sheet: SPORTS MONKEY SHINES! THIS CHIMP IS A GAY BLADE: Usually, summer is the whacky season, but this winter things aren’t on an even keel in Germany. They’ve taught a Chimp to Skate and he’s a real swinger! After some tricks “Archibald” leads a Conga that proves he’s a real gay blade with quite a line figure-8-atively.

“Ice Rink Resurfacing Machine” Patent file excerpts:

PROBLEM: "The maintenance of a satisfactorily smooth surface on the ice is one of the major problems in connection with the operation of a skating rink… The squeegees have no effect on the hard-frozen rough ice, and the ice therefore remains rough 'until the next time that it is scraped."

BEFORE the Zamboni: "Heretofore, the usual method of cleaning off and smoothing the surface of the ice has been to send attendants out onto the ice to sweep off the cut ice with scrapers or sweeps that are pushed ahead of them; while in other instances, the ice is scraped clean by scraper blades mounted on towed sleds towed sleds or on automotive vehicles such as the small, four-wheel drive vehicles formerly used in the military services and known popularly as the jeep In either case, after the surface of the ice has 'been scraped clean, a thin film of water is spread over the ice to fill in the cracks and low spots, and surplus water is then squeegeed away, usually by a number of attendants on skates, pushing the squeegees ahead of them… 

GOAL of ZAMBONI: "[An] object of the invention is to provide a self-propelled vehicle that can be operated by one man, and which functions automatically to shave the ice, convey the shaved ice to a large receptacle attached to the vehicle, and then squeegee a thin film `of water over the surface of the ice so as to provide a like-new surface when the water has frozen."

Full citation: Frank J. Zamboni & Co., Inc. RG 241: Records of the Patent and Trademark Office, 1836-1978, Patent Case Files, 1936-1976, Patent Case File No. 2,642,679, Ice Rink Resurfacing Machine, Inventor Frank J. Zamboni. NARA ID 83876135

Much more online! 

Ice Skating in the National Archives, National Archives News special topics page

Records Reveal Winter Olympics History, National Archives News: 

Ice Skating at Rockefeller Center, 1937, The Unwritten Record: 

Kate S. Todd Improvement in Skating-Wands, 1872

I am all for taking action in support of repairing climate change, but this is not the way. Action should be taken against the active offenders, big corporate.

Degas is long dead. The collection and museum is part of the Smithsonian which is supported with public funding too. Climate crisis is not a battle in an art gallery, unless it's a piece of artwork that is raising money to enact immediate policies against those climate offenders.

For anyone wanting to contribute to climate action, this just isn't it.

Claude Monet

‘Without the fog, London would not be a beautiful city,’ Claude Monet said to the dealer René Gimpel in 1920. ‘It’s the fog that gives it its magnificent breadth. Those massive, regular blocks became grandiose within that mysterious cloak.’ 

Claude Monet made several trips to London between 1899 and 1905. Returning to the principle of the series – portraying the same subject at different times of day and under different light, he focused on three motifs: the Houses of Parliament, Charing Cross Bridge, and Waterloo Bridge. In all he completed more than one hundred Thames paintings. His numerous iterations of the two bridges seen from his balcony track how the sun reflected off the water throughout the day. 

Most artists, such as James McNeill Whistler, used a subdued palette and a limited range of colours to reproduce the greyness of the city. Monet's London paintings are quite different. Even in these subjects dulled by fog and coal dust, he perceived colour in every form. Drifting mists are painted with delicate shades of lilac and pink, and the sky is tinged with pale olive. The shaded arches of the bridge are darkened with blues, not black, and its traffic is highlighted with brilliant flecks of scarlet.

Image 1: Claude Monet, Charing Cross Bridge, The Thames, 1903, Musée des Beaux-Arts de Lyon

Image 2: Claude Monet, Waterloo Bridge, soleil voile, 1899-1903, Collection of Paul G. Allen, Christie’s 

Image 3: Claude Monet, Waterloo Bridge, at Sunset, 1904, Collection of Mr. and Mrs. Paul Mellon, National Gallery of Art, Washington 

Image 4: Claude Monet, Waterloo Bridge, at Dusk, 1904, Collection of Mr. and Mrs. Paul Mellon, National Gallery of Art, Washington

Image 5: Claude Monet, Waterloo Bridge, Gray Day, 1903, Chester Dale Collection, National Gallery of Art, Washington

The epitome of a house that you *have* to pull over to the side of the road to admire from your car window.

Detail from “Untitled,” 1980, by Philip Guston from the “Philip Guston Now” exhibition, which closes at @mfaboston this Sunday, 9/11/22. Next, the show travels to @mfahouston though 1/15/23, and then I hope to see it at @ngadc while it is there through 8/27/23. #painting #philipguston #philipgustonnow #guston #mfaboston #mfah #ngadc #head #art #contemporaryart #artmuseum https://www.instagram.com/p/CiMRwEHMaZ-/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

#Repost @mara_ernst19 Edward Hopper. Ground swell. Detail (1939). #art #painter #americanartist #americanart #americanart #ashcanschool #newrealism #americanrealism #socialrealism #neoclasicism #seascene #sailing #people #light #nicecolours #masterpiece #warmcolours #artlovers #dailyart #artoninstagram #instaart #artcollection #artgallery #nationalgalleryofartwashington @ngadc #edwardhopper https://www.instagram.com/p/Cl5hICXImmk/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

'Philip Guston Now' is on view now at @mfahouston !! ⁠ ⁠ We are proud to have co-published the original exhibition catalog with @ngadc — with text by Harry Cooper, Mark Godfrey, Alison de Lima Greene and Kate Nesin, and contributions by Jennifer Roberts, Tacita Dean, Peter Fischli, Trenton Doyle Hancock, William Kentridge, Glenn Ligon, David Reed, Dana Schutz, Amy Sillman, Art Spiegelman and Rirkrit Tiravanija.⁠ ⁠ Sillman writes:⁠ I can’t feel this much existentialism in other painters…. In places of high art you’re supposed to see the majesty of time’s arrow as it arcs across time, not the way the failed arrows fall out of the quiver between wonder and stupidness.⁠ ⁠ Read more via linkinbio.⁠ ⁠ #philipgustonnow #philipguston #guston @the_guston_foundation https://www.instagram.com/p/CkHAtGCJa4w/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

A SIXTY-YEAR-OLD PIECE THIS YEAR, AND STILL AN ALL-TIME AMERICAN CLASSIC.

PIC INFO: Spotlight on a piece titled "Cakes," c. 1963, oil on canvas, 60 x 72 in., National Gallery of Art, Washington DC, USA, artwork by the now late, great Wayne Thiebaud (1920-2021). Courtesy of the Collectors Committee and The Circle Gift, with Additional Support from the Abrams Family in Memory of Harry N. Abrams).

Resolution at 1454x1200 & 1100x733.

Sources: https://twitter.com/ngadc/status/1199391876647936001 & Vulture.

An indoor oasis of orchids at the @ngadc west building for #flowerfriday. #gardendc #dc #dmv #nationalmall #orchids mydccool #dcgardens #indoorjungle #wdc #museumlover (at National Gallery of Art) https://www.instagram.com/p/Cno-SroOWOy/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

Also got some quality time w/art at the @ngadc , Constitution Ave.: Katharina Fritsch’s “Hahn/Cock”, Nam June Paik’s “Ugly Television & Ugly Buddha”, & Esther Bubley’s “Girl Sitting Alone in the 'Sea Grill,' a Bar and Restaurant [ancestor of @odonnellsmarket at E & 12th Sts.], Waiting for a Pick-up”. Lens & camera c.2017. #lovethatchickenfromglenstone #dcondigital #zeisslife #25batis #zeisszeissbaby #sonylife #sonya9 #ilce9 #notleica #autofocus #availablelight #acreativedc #exposedDC #FotoDC #igdc #dctography #dcfocused #202creates #walkwithlocals #streetmeetdc #popville #MyDCist #dcisreal #WeAreDC #nationalmall #lajetté2022 #fall2022 #pandemicfall2022 #omicronfall #happybirthdaytome (at National Gallery of Art) https://www.instagram.com/p/ClhSSICSMaZ/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

it’s easy to forget all that goes into what might seem to be simple things… a few photos from a rehearsal prior to @deviatedtheatre’s @ngadc #nationalgallerynights activation of josiah mcelheny’s sculptures… first kimmie and i went there so i could try it out… then, a rehearsal with dancers so they could walk the path and try on the mirrors… also a talk with the artist to make sure we were fulfilling his interpretation… and all the incredible help from the NGA staff… . . . #theartofmakingart #dance #movement #rehearsal #art #fujifilm #gfx100s #50mm (at National Gallery of Art) https://www.instagram.com/p/Ci3k04RMPNi/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

Eccoci qui, oggi in trasferta a Roma e per l’esattezza nelle @scuderiequirinale a visitare la mostra “Superbarocco. Arte a Genova da Rubens a Magnasco” coprodotta e progettata insieme alla @ngadc di Washington, con la speciale collaborazione del @comunedigenova dei @museidigenova , @museidistradanuovagenova racconta e celebra lo straordinario periodo del Barocco genovese. — Mostra curata da Jonathan Bober, a capo del Department of Old Master Prints della National Gallery di Washington, da Piero Boccardo, già direttore del genovese Palazzo Rosso e fra i massimi esperti mondiali della materia e da Franco Boggero storico dell’arte ed esperto di pittura ligure del Cinquecento e del Seicento. #ScuderiedelQuirinale #ScuderieQuirinale #roma #superbarocco #barocco #baroque #quirinale #genova #rome #liguria #palazzideirolli #italy #genovamorethanthis #rollidays #italia #travel #igersroma #palazzideirolligenova #romeitaly #genovagram #architecture #alluring #visitrome #museidigenova #museidistradanuova #nationalgalleryofart (presso Scuderie del Quirinale) https://www.instagram.com/p/CfHLsYuIVP7/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

Sitting adjacent to the entrance of @ngadc National Gallery of Art’s East Building in Washington, DC, Henry Moore’s monumental “Knife Edge Mirror Two Piece” epitomise the artist’s late period which was defined by powerful, complex abstract forms, experimentation with materials and scale, and a new dynamic relationship with architecture. Commissioned by the museum in 1973 to design a grand sculpture for East Building’s Pennsylvania Avenue façade, Moore developed Knife Edge Mirror Two Piece in collaboration with the building’s architect I.M. Pei despite his acknowledged aversion to architects and architectural commissions – perhaps a sign of his maturing sensibilities. That’s not to say that the 4-year process was all smooth sailing, Moore’s insistence on being able to see the sculpture from all sides that for all his meant that I.M. Pei had to redesign the original pedestal into a triangular promontory jutting out from the terrace. . . Henry Moore, Knife Edge Mirror Two Piece, 1976-1978. Gift of The Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation. Installation view, National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC. Photo @caylonlawrence. #yatzer #yatzer_inspiration #nationalgalleryofart #ngadc #art #kunst #konst #藝術 #アート #هنر #арт #artecontemporanea #コンテンポラリーアート #modernart #contemporaryart #contemporary_art #kunstwerk #アートワーク #installation #contemporaryartgallery #artwatchers #abstract #artnow #escultura #installationart #مجسمه #installationart #gallery #henrymoore (at National Gallery, East Wing, Washington DC) https://www.instagram.com/p/CYasydPqgZ3/?utm_medium=tumblr

Rubens Peale with a Geranium, 2801. Rembrandt Peale. #nationalgalleryofart #ngadc #portrait #retrato #artofinstagram (at National Gallery of Art) https://www.instagram.com/p/CYmDSxDg4k4/?utm_medium=tumblr

"Talking" (1979) is reproduced from 'Philip Guston Now' — published to accompany the exhibition opening today at @ngadc after much talk, and debate, and writing, and revising. ⁠ ⁠ Amy Sillman writes: "Time, that patient substance that the work is unraveled in, is also slowly devouring us even as our pictures unspool. The worried guy in Guston’s pictures, smoking, eating, and watching, is a guy who both reveals and repudiates time; doubt regenerates him.⁠ I can’t feel this much existentialism in other painters, and not many other painters wager such ridiculousness. Guston’s is the kind of unexalted comedy that museums and art history generally want to suppress. In places of high art you’re supposed to see the majesty of time’s arrow as it arcs across time, not the way the failed arrows fall out of the quiver between wonder and stupidness. But that’s how life actually feels. …"⁠ ⁠ We are proud to have co-published the exhibition catalog to this show, which also stopped at @mfaboston and @mfahouston and will make its way in 2024 to @tate ⁠ ⁠ Text by Harry Cooper, Mark Godfrey, Alison de Lima Greene, Kate Nesin. Contributions by Jennifer Roberts, Tacita Dean, Peter Fischli, Trenton Doyle Hancock, William Kentridge, Glenn Ligon, David Reed, Dana Schutz, Amy Sillman, Art Spiegelman, Rirkrit Tiravanija.⁠ ⁠ Read more via linkinbio.⁠ ⁠ #philipgustonnow #philipguston #guston @the_guston_foundation #talk #philipgustontalk #amysillman @amyandomar https://www.instagram.com/p/Cpz2F-wug73/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

Senior archivist Dr. Greg Bradsher, National Archives at College Park.  National Archives photo by Susanna Raab

Legendary Archivist Likened to Professional Athlete—first time ever

“As archivists go, Greg Bradsher ’68 is retiring as a superstar, the Michael Jordan or Tom Brady of his profession.” The first sentence of the Oregon Stater feature “If an archivist can be a legend, he's it” may mark the first time an archivist has been likened to a professional athlete. On the eve of his retirement, it doesn’t get any better. Bradsher responded, “I was blown away.”

Last year, senior archivist Dr. Greg Bradsher received Archivist David S. Ferriero’s Lifetime Achievement Award for his impressive 42-plus-year career (watch video tribute here and below). After sharing the news with Bradsher’s alma maters, Oregon State University (OSU) and the University of Massachusetts (Amherst), Oregon Stater editor Kevin Miller called to say that he had pulled over to the side of the road en route to work to Google Bradsher. Asked what he found compelling, Miller responded, “Once I’d done some research of my own and conducted a long interview with Greg in which we both had fun and I learned a ton, the pressure was all on me to do his career justice. I’ve been writing profiles of people for 43 years now—15 of them in this job—and this is one of my top 10 favorites, for sure.” 

Bradsher’s stellar research skills, intellectual curiosity, humor, cordiality, and expansive knowledge contributed to his now-legendary career. As Bradsher’s colleague archivist Sylvia Naylor explained, “he is the perfect combination of scholar and archivist. His knowledge of the records never ceases to amaze me.” Although his expertise includes the American colonial era, the Homestead Act, and FBI records collections, he is reknowned for his work on records relating to Holocaust-Era Assets.

In 1996, at the start of the congressional investigation into dormant Swiss bank accounts and gold looted by Nazi Germany, Bradsher was asked to create a basic finding aid for the National Archives’ extensive collection of related World War II–era records. Given his intellectual curiosity and interest, this initial six-page document became a 1,166-page tome. The National Archives became the epicenter of Holocaust-related research, and he became the international point person on this issue.    

Read more online:

Kevin Miller’s Oregon Stater story UMass Amherst History Department’s story National Archives press release Bradsher’s National Archives Text Message blog posts

See Archivist David S. Ferriero's Achievement Awards Tribute Video: