General view of a Union Pacific Railroad car featuring Plexiglas panels concealed under metal screens. Per notations accompanying the photograph, this box car was used to test and measure the movement of the panels and the potential impact on freight in order to reduce freight damage.

The Rohm and Haas Company was founded in 1907 in Esslingen, Germany through the partnership of German chemist Otto Röhm and German businessman Otto Haas. In 1933, Röhm's experiments with the polymerization of methyl methacrylate led to the creation of a clear, solid plastic sheet, which he trademarked Plexiglas. During World War II, the demand for Plexiglas, which both Allied and Axis forces used for submarine periscopes and aircraft windshields, canopies, and gun turrets, helped transform Rohm and Haas into a major chemical firm.