The above item - Cotton Gin at Dahomey, Mississippi - is from the digital collections at The Henry Ford. This photo is from 1890-1898 and was taken by William Henry Jackson of the Detroit Publishing Company. It captured a typical scene inside of a nineteenth century Mississippi cotton gin mill. 

This Friday, May 11, is the last of this season’s Learning Series presentations: America’s Industrial Revolution.

The Henry Ford is again offering members the opportunity to sit in (for no cost) on the morning portion of the program – which begins at 9:30 a.m. in Anderson Theater in Henry Ford Museum. Members must register online by Thursday.

The guest presenter is Daniel Clark, Ph.D., an associate professor of history at Oakland University in Auburn Hills, Mich.

His talk will emphasize that the Industrial Revolution involved significant mental transformations, such as new conceptualizations of time, market forces, and labor. He will give particular attention to examples from U.S. history since the Civil War, including the southern textile industry and the automobile industry.

Originally from Midland, Mich., Daniel Clark received his Ph.D. from Duke University.  His main area of expertise is U.S. Labor History. Combining oral history and internal company documents, his book, Like Night and Day: Unionization in a Southern Mill Town (University of North Carolina Press, 1997), explored what unionization meant to workers and managers at cotton mills in a North Carolina community during the 1940s and 1950s. His current research focuses on autoworkers in the metropolitan Detroit region during the 1950s. Oral history interviews  that form the backbone of this project will soon be available at the Walter P. Reuther Library at Wayne State University in Detroit. Prof. Clark regularly teaches courses on U.S. Labor and Cold War America as well as undergraduate and graduate research seminars. He also teaches courses about Detroit labor history and oral history methodology.

Also presenting is Marc Greuther, chief curator and curator of industrial design at The Henry Ford. He has a B.A. from the Courtauld Institute of Art at the University of London and over 20 years of experience with industrial technology at The Henry Ford. His seven years as a member of the institution’s Historic Operating Machinery unit involved him in the operation and troubleshooting of a wide range of artifacts, from 19th century machine tools and steam engines to late 20th century robots and production equipment. His writings for the Society for the History of Technology’s journal Technology and Culture usually spring from or explore areas where art history and the history of technology overlap.

There is also a dramatic presentation: Edison’s Light Fantastic. Attendees will meet Thomas Edison and hear about his most “electrifying” invention. This live one-man show gives a glimpse into the inspiring life, work and mind of Thomas Edison.

The full-day workshop is designed for teachers and offers an opportunity to earn continuing education units. Teachers should register for the full-day workshop with the call center at 313-982-6001.