- On View
- Changing Exhibition Gallery
- Museum Maps
- Objects in this Location
- Manufactured by
- Hiatt & Co. Ltd., British, founded 1780
- Date
- 2000s
- Medium
- nickel and plastic
- Dimensions
- H x W x D: 3 × 10 × 1 in. (7.6 × 25.4 × 2.5 cm)
- Caption
- Produced by one of the oldest, most prolific producers of iron restraints, Hiatt and Company, these contemporary cuffs materialize a deep connection between racial slavery, the carceral state, and militarization. Established in Birmingham England, in 1780, Hiatt and Company supplied slave traders across the Atlantic with handcuffs, collars, and chains well into the 19th century—long after the abolition of slavery in Britain and the United States. Two centuries after its founding, Hiatt became the first British company to introduce the rigid cuff design seen here and now used worldwide by police and militaries.
- Description
- Rigid speed handcuffs, "Model 2103 Speedcuff," manufactured by Hiatt & Co. Ltd. The cuffs have a rigid, black plastic center bar and two nickel cuffs for the left and right hands with an 18-tooth swing-through design. "Hiatt" is engraved on the topside of each cuff. Opposite the brand name on one cuff is the model number "2103" and the other cuff has "228928."
- Associated with the cuffs are two small, nickel keys: NMAAHC 2024.23.1.2 and NMAAHC 2024.23.1.3.
- Place made
- Birmingham, England, Europe
- Classification
- Weapons and Ammunition
- Type
- keys (hardware)
- handcuffs
- Credit Line
- Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture
- Object number
- 2024.23.1.1
- Restrictions & Rights
- Unknown - Restrictions Possible
- Rights assessment and proper usage is the responsibility of the user.




