A Real Marvel at the Henry Ford Museum
The Henry Ford Museum recently hosted an exhibit called “Marvel: Universe of Super Heroes.” Here’s what the famous automaker’s museum had to offer.
Written by Alex Reale
Reviewed by Kathleen Flear
Though best known as the inventor of the
Model T
and the first person to incorporate the moving assembly line in automaking, Henry Ford
was also a major antique collector. As his wealth grew, so too did his inventory, and a museum was born. Located in Dearborn, Michigan, the Henry Ford Museum recently hosted a more modern collection: an exhibit all about Marvel characters.Henry Ford: car magnate and collector
Henry Ford already had his biggest successes behind him when he turned to the charms of gathering up old artifacts, says
The Henry Ford Museum
. Apparently spurred by a desire to find a book from his childhood, Ford embraced a collecting hobby that eventually mushroomed into a storage problem. He was especially enchanted by “examples of industrial progress” like clocks and watches, and his hometown of Dearborn (then called Springwells Township) soon saw droves of antiques.
These antiques were given a proper home in the 1920s. An abandoned agricultural building played host to the projects and findings of the “primary collector of Americana in the world,” but this wasn’t yet enough for the foremost American industrialist of the day.
Ford wanted visitors to see industrial progress in action, so he designed an entire village around his collections and work.
Visitors to the indoor portion enjoyed displays of the artifacts and objects, and once they wandered outside they’d see the museum wares in action. Sometimes there were even celebrities. In 1929 Ford hosted a commemorative re-lighting of an incandescent lamp. The special guest? Thomas Edison.
A marvelous exhibit
From the get-go, The Henry Ford Museum has been a bustling campus with exciting and dynamic displays. A century later, that spirit remains, but instead of assembly lines and radio broadcasts, the exhibits reflect the interests of the modern era. And in this modern era, we like Marvel movies.
In the summer of 2020, The Henry Ford Museum launched an exhibit called “Marvel: Universe of Super Heroes.” The exhibit, wrote Michael H. Hodges for
The Detroit News
, was “a kaleidoscopic history of 80 years of Marvel comics and their multi-million-dollar movie spinoffs.” Visitors could see over 300 Marvel artifacts, from early comic books to movie props, and enjoy the life-size versions of their favorite characters.
The Detroit News notes that “Marvel: Universe of Super Heroes” was organized in sequence, with paraphernalia associated with the comic books on view first, followed by the costumes and props of the movies. Diehard fans could even see the first Marvel comic book ever.
And the museum wasn’t all still life: fans of the Ironman movies could transform themselves, via interactive video, into a be-costumed Tony Stark, and then practice their flying maneuvers. A marvelous universe indeed.
A bigger legacy
Though there is the simple joy of seeing an awe-inspiring display of the Black Panther, The Detroit News also points out that The Henry Ford Museum Marvel exhibit was a chronology of the art, moods, and mores of different periods of American life.
These characters, from the stressed-out Hulk to the brooding Spider-Man, give us a window into the values and interests of their time. Perhaps ironic Ironman would not have been born during the patriotic 50s, but ten years later, his storyline resonated. And kids these days still love him.
A brief stay at The Henry Ford Museum, a place forged to celebrate the achievements of a very famous American, made sense for the traveling Marvel exhibit. It was pure Americana, staged among pure Americana. And though the exhibit closed in January 2021, you can still hop into the Explorer and head to Dearborn. There’s a lot to see.
4.7
