Science & Mathematics

Chemical Balance

The Museum's collections hold thousands of objects related to chemistry, biology, physics, astronomy, and other sciences. Instruments range from early American telescopes to lasers. Rare glassware and other artifacts from the laboratory of Joseph Priestley, the discoverer of oxygen, are among the scientific treasures here. A Gilbert chemistry set of about 1937 and other objects testify to the pleasures of amateur science. Artifacts also help illuminate the social and political history of biology and the roles of women and minorities in science.

The mathematics collection holds artifacts from slide rules and flash cards to code-breaking equipment. More than 1,000 models demonstrate some of the problems and principles of mathematics, and 80 abstract paintings by illustrator and cartoonist Crockett Johnson show his visual interpretations of mathematical theorems.

Topic: Calculating Machines

Grant Calculating Machine, Centennial Model

In 1876 the Massachusetts inventor and entrepreneur George B.
Description
In 1876 the Massachusetts inventor and entrepreneur George B. Grant displayed a calculating machine similar to this one, as well as a difference engine of his design, at the Centennial Exhibition, a world’s fair held in Philadelphia.
The barrel-type, non-printing machine has a rectangular wooden base, cut out to allow for the motion of a set of wheels that rotates on a shaft near the bottom. This shaft is linked to a larger upper cylinder by gears so that the wheels and the cylinder turn simultaneously when a handle at the right end of the upper cylinder is rotated. The frame for the instrument consists of hollow discs at opposite ends of the base, which are connected to the two shafts already mentioned, and a third shaft which carries a set of eighteen spring claws that link to the gears of the wheels.
Part of the upper cylinder has a metal collar that can be set at any of eight positions on the cylinder with a locking pin. This collar supports eight movable rings. Each ring has an adding pin and a stud on it which may be set at any of ten positions, labeled by the digits from 0 to 9. The lower cylinder has one group of ten recording wheels on it, each provided with thirty teeth. The digits from 0 to 9 are stamped three times around each recording wheel. The spring claws fit the gears of the first set of recording wheels. If a claw is pushed down, it engages the gear of a recording wheel, causing it to rotate. Studs on the wheel lead to carrying by engaging the next claw over. A second group of eight recording wheels, each wheel having thirty teeth, counts turns of the handle, recording the multiplier. These wheels are not shown on cuts of the machine shown at the Centennial.
A flat disk at the end of a lever on the left side serves as a brake on the operating wheels, indicating when the operating crank has been turned through one revolution.
A mark inscribed on the disc on the left side reads: PATENTED (/) JULY 16 1872 APRIL 29 1873 (/) GEO.B.GRANT. A mark inscribed on the top of that ring reads: 12 (/) 77
Compare MA.310645. It has longer cylinders and no mechanism for recording the multiplier. For a related, later U S. patent model, see MA.311940.
References:
George B. Grant, “Improvement in Calculating Machines,” U.S. Patent 138245 (April 29, 1873).
George B. Grant, "Improvement in Calculating-Machine," U.S. Patent 129,335 (July 18, 1872).
George B. Grant, “On a New Difference Engine,” American Journal of Science, ser. 3, vol. 1 (August 1871), pp. 113–118.
George B. Grant, “A New Calculating Machine,” American Journal of Science, ser. 3, vol. 8 (1874), pp. 277–284.
L. Leland Locke, “George Barnard Grant,” Dictionary of American Biography, vol. 7, New York: Scribners, 1931, pp. 487–488.
Robert K. Otnes, “Calculators by George B. Grant,” Historische Buerowelt, no. 19, October 1987, pp. 15–17.
Accession files 118852 and 155183.
George B. Grant, “The Calculating Machine,” Boston: Albert J. Wright, Printer, 1878.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1877
maker
Grant, George B.
ID Number
2016.0165.01
accession number
2016.0165
catalog number
2016.0165.01

Brunsviga Model B Calculating Machine

This lever-set, non-printing, and manually operated pinwheel calculating machine has a metal housing painted black, a steel mechanism, and nine levers for entering numbers. At the top left is a small metal lever.
Description
This lever-set, non-printing, and manually operated pinwheel calculating machine has a metal housing painted black, a steel mechanism, and nine levers for entering numbers. At the top left is a small metal lever. A steel operating crank with a wooden handle extends from the right side of the machine. The crank rotates backward (clockwise) for addition and multiplication and forward (counterclockwise) for subtraction and division. A wing nut on the left side zeros the setting levers.
A movable carriage at the front of the machine has 13 windows that show dials of the result register on the right and eight windows for the revolution register on the left. The revolution register has no carry mechanism. The digits on the revolution register dials are white for additions and red for subtractions. A narrow metal rod carries decimal markers for the revolution and result registers. Depressing a lever at the front of the machine releases the carriage for shifting. Rotating wing nuts at the ends of the carriage zero the registers on it. A bell on the left end of the carriage rings when the result passes through zero.
Three marks on the front of the machine read: BRUNSVIGA; No 14544; and CARL H. REUTER (/) LAND TITLE BUILDING (/) PHILADELPHIA, PA. A mark painted on the front of the machine, on the case, and twice on the back reads: UC-CE-C; U.S.E.D. A fifth mark, with an elaborate drawing, is on the back of the machine and reads: BRUNSVIGA (/) REGISTERED TRADE MARK. A mark on the back of the machine reads: PATENTED IN THE UNITED STATES, 12 JUNE 1906.
The case has a wooden base and a metal lid painted black, with a broken lock and leather handle at the front. A mark on it reads: „Brunsviga.”
Compare MA.315904.
This machine came to the Smithsonian from the Office of the Chief of Engineers of the Department of the Army in 1950.
Reference:
E. Martin, The Calculating Machines (Die Rechenmaschinen), trans. P. A. Kidwell and M. R. Williams, Cambridge: MIT Press, 1992, pp. 109–113.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1910
maker
Grimme, Natalis & Co.
ID Number
MA.313426
catalog number
313426
accession number
185998
maker number
14544

Baldwin Calculator

In 1875 Frank S. Baldwin of St. Louis patented a pinwheel calculating machine. He manufactured a few of these machines, but they did not sell well. Baldwin went on to take out a number of other patents.
Description
In 1875 Frank S. Baldwin of St. Louis patented a pinwheel calculating machine. He manufactured a few of these machines, but they did not sell well. Baldwin went on to take out a number of other patents. By 1901 he had moved to Newark, New Jersey, where he designed an improved pinwheel machine. He obtained a patent the following year. This is an early example of that machine.
The lever-set, non-printing machine has eight rings at the front that rotate forward to release pins and enter numbers. A zeroing bar for the rings is at the front, and an operating crank to the right. The crank turns clockwise for addition and multiplication and counterclockwise for subtraction and division. Behind the rings is a movable carriage with a row of 16 result windows and, behind this, a second row of nine windows for the revolution register. Both these registers have zeroing cranks. Both also have a thin metal rod below them that moves to serve as a decimal marker.
Pulling forward a lever on the left allows one to shift the carriage. A bell rings when the result changes sign (negative to positive or positive to negative). The entire machine sits in a wooden case with a missing lid.
Compare MA.311954.
A mark stamped on the front reads: No 50.
The donor dated this machine to 1902.
References:
Accession file.
Frank S. Baldwin, “Calculating-Machine,” U.S. Patent 706375, August 5, 1902.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1902
maker
Baldwin, Frank S.
ID Number
MA.307384
catalog number
307384
accession number
67982
maker number
50

Grant Experimental Model Calculating Machine

This lever-set non-printing connection pawl calculating machine is the last experimental model of George B. Grant, designed to incorporate subtraction and division as well as addition and multiplication. It has a wooden base and a brass frame. Five pins slide to set numbers.
Description
This lever-set non-printing connection pawl calculating machine is the last experimental model of George B. Grant, designed to incorporate subtraction and division as well as addition and multiplication. It has a wooden base and a brass frame. Five pins slide to set numbers. Positions next to the pins are labeled from 0 to 9. Moving back a pin drives back a toothed rack.
Behind the racks is a movable carriage with 11 gears on it. The carriage can be set at six different positions. When the racks are pushed back (there is no cam to drive the racks), the gears are engaged, and rotate in proportion to the number set. The gears move in the opposite direction when the racks are moved forward. Carry teeth are arranged in a spiral shaft above the carriage. A lever at the front of the machine may be rotated in a way that may affect the action of the carry shaft. A crank on the right zeros the result shaft.
This model represents Grant’s enduring interest in the improvement of calculating devices. It did not lead directly to any commercial product.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
after 1895
maker
Grant, George B.
ID Number
MA.310650
catalog number
310650
accession number
118852

Monroe Model LA5-160x Calculating Machine

This full-keyboard, non-printing electric modified stepped drum calculating machine has a metal frame painted black, with a plate under the keyboard that appears to be unpainted. The eight columns of white plastic number keys have nine keys in each column.
Description
This full-keyboard, non-printing electric modified stepped drum calculating machine has a metal frame painted black, with a plate under the keyboard that appears to be unpainted. The eight columns of white plastic number keys have nine keys in each column. Below each column is a tenth white key used for zeroing. Between the columns of keys, and under the plate, are metal rods visible through windows in the plate that serve as decimal markers. To the right of the number keys are the subtraction and addition bars, two red buttons, and a red clearance button.
In back of the keyboard is the carriage, with 16 result dials and eight revolution register dials. A carriage shift crank is at the front. The machine has four rubber feet, and a gray rubber electric cord. It has no case and the feet are not extensible at the back.
A mark on the machine reads: MONROE (/) HIGH SPEED ADDING CALCULATOR. Another mark reads; PROPERTY U.S.N.BU.ORD. (/) CONTRACT NOO 1709 (/) U.S.N. NO 504487. A mark scratched on the inside of the carriage at the left reads: 273166.
Compare MA.334385.
The donor was a certified public accountant who had a collection of calculating machines. The date of manufacture and original cost ($375) are provided by him.
References:
National Office Machine Dealer’s Association, Blue Book, May, 1975, as compiled by Office Machine Americana, January, 2002.
Monroe Calculating Machine Company, “Monroe High Speed Adding-Calculator,” Publication 780-A. This is a notebook with advertising descriptions of several Monroe calculating machines.
Accession file.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1948
maker
Monroe Calculating Machine Company
ID Number
MA.335424
accession number
319049
maker number
273166
catalog number
335424

Monroe Model CSAE-10 Calculating Machine

This full-keyboard, electric non-printing modified stepped drum calculating machine has a dark gray steel frame, a light gray keyboard and carriage, and ten columns of oblong plastic keys in two shades of gray. At the bottom of each column is a key for clearing it.
Description
This full-keyboard, electric non-printing modified stepped drum calculating machine has a dark gray steel frame, a light gray keyboard and carriage, and ten columns of oblong plastic keys in two shades of gray. At the bottom of each column is a key for clearing it. Between the columns of keys and under the keyboard are metal rods, painted red on one side and the same gray as the keyboard on the other. They turn to serve as decimal markers.
To the right of the number keys are subtraction and addition bars, two carriage shift keys, and a multiplier key. Below these are two buttons, one of which is depressed when entries are repeated and the other depressed for non-repeating entries. This section also has a multiply/divide lever. Below these are three other function keys and a gray clear-keyboard key. Beneath the number keys are five additional function keys.
In back of the keyboard is a carriage with ten dials to show a number set up for multiplication, 20 dials to show the result, and a row of ten dials that serves as a revolution counter. Sliding decimal markers are provided. A two-pronged gray electrical cord attaches to the back.
An incomplete mark on the left side reads: omatic. A mark on the front reads: Classmate. Another mark there reads: li. A paper sticker glued to the bottom of the machine reads: MONROE INTERNATIONAL CORPORATION [/] A DIVISION OF LITTON INDUSTRIES [/] ORANGE, NEW JERSEY. A list of 28 patents on this sticker ranges from number 2,473,422 (1949) to D-192,457 (1962). A metal tag attached to the bottom of the machine reads: MODEL CSAE-10 [/] SERIAL B066597. Scratched on the frame at the back are the initials: EHS.
This is a relatively late mechanical calculating machine, produced by Monroe after it became a division of Litton Industries in 1958. The rough date is based on the patent date.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1966
maker
Monroe International Corporation, a Division of Litton Business Systems
ID Number
1987.0182.01
maker number
MODEL CSAE-10 B066597
accession number
1987.0182
catalog number
1987.0182.01

TIM III Calculating Machine

This sturdy German stepped drum, manually operated non-printing calculating machine has a brass and iron case painted black. The eight-digit entry levers are linked to dials that record the number entered and to steel stepped drums. Levers in front of the dials zero the entry.
Description
This sturdy German stepped drum, manually operated non-printing calculating machine has a brass and iron case painted black. The eight-digit entry levers are linked to dials that record the number entered and to steel stepped drums. Levers in front of the dials zero the entry. The addition & multiplication / subtraction & division lever is on the left, and the operating crank is on the right. The plate at the front is easily removed to show the levers and bell.
In back of the levers is the carriage, with nine revolution register dials and 16 result register dials. The zeroing bars for these registers are on the right of the carriage. A knob for lifting the carriage is on its far left. When the entry in the result register becomes negative (as in subtraction or division), a bell rings. It rings again if a number is added to bring the total to zero or more. The entire machine has a steel cover painted black.
A metal tag attached to the front of the machine reads: Sold by (/) The TIMES-INTO Co. (/) TRADE MARK. It also reads: Ludwig Spitz & Co. G.m.b.H. (/) T I M (/) TIME IS MONEY (/) TRADE MARK. It also reads: CHICAGO (/) U.S.A. The front of the machine reads: Made in Germany. Also stamped on the machine is: PATENT. A mark on the machine under the carriage at the right reads: 06573. Another mark on the machine, under the carriage at the left reads: 9239.
The machine was put into use at the Public Service Corporation of New Jersey (later the Public Service Electric and Gas Company) in 1923. The company considered scrapping the machine in 1962, but gave it to the Smithsonian Institution instead.
References:
Accession file.
E. Martin, The Calculating Machines (die Rechenmaschinen), trans. P. A. Kidwell and M. R. Williams, Cambridge: MIT Press, 1992, pp. 191–194.
J. H. McCarthy, The American Digest of Business Machines, Chicago: American Exchange Service, 1924, pp. 84–85. By this time, the American agent for the TIM calculating machine was the Times Into Company of Chicago.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1923
maker
Ludwig Spitz & Co.
ID Number
MA.321541
catalog number
321541
accession number
244668
maker number
06573 or 9239

Calculating Machine Component

This object was collected by Brooklyn high school teacher and historian of mathematics L. Leland Locke and held by the Museums of the Peaceful Arts in New York City before coming to the Smithsonian.
Description
This object was collected by Brooklyn high school teacher and historian of mathematics L. Leland Locke and held by the Museums of the Peaceful Arts in New York City before coming to the Smithsonian. It consists of five shaped flat steel pieces, with four numeral wheels and related mechanisms between them.
Location
Currently not on view
ID Number
1983.3003.055
nonaccession number
1983.3003
catalog number
1983.3003.055

Marchant Calculating Machine Stand

Those who bought calculating machines often purchased stands on which to use them. This one was designed to support the Marchant ACT10M machine. It is made of iron and steel tubing, with four rubber wheels and a wooden shelf.
Description
Those who bought calculating machines often purchased stands on which to use them. This one was designed to support the Marchant ACT10M machine. It is made of iron and steel tubing, with four rubber wheels and a wooden shelf. The dimensions given assume the shelf is down.
A label on the front of the stand reads: Property of (/) UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT (/) Environmental Science (/) Services Administration
For related object, see 1988.0315.01.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1942
maker
Marchant Calculating Machine Company, Inc.
ID Number
1988.0315.02
catalog number
1988.0315.02
accession number
1988.0315

Brunsviga Model B Calculating Machine

This lever-set, non-printing, and manually operated pinwheel calculating machine has a metal housing painted black, a brass and steel mechanism, and nine levers for entering numbers.
Description
This lever-set, non-printing, and manually operated pinwheel calculating machine has a metal housing painted black, a brass and steel mechanism, and nine levers for entering numbers. A steel crank with a wooden handle that extends from the right side of the machine rotates backward (clockwise) for addition and multiplication, and forward (counterclockwise) for subtraction and division.
A movable carriage at the front of the machine has 13 windows that show dials of the result register on the right, and eight windows for the revolution register on the left. The revolution register has no carry. The digits on the revolution register dial are white for additions and red for subtractions. Holes for decimal markers between digits of the result and revolution registers presently have no markers. Depressing a lever at the front of the machine releases the carriage for shifting. To zero the registers, one rotates wing nuts at the ends of the carriage. The left end of the carriage carries a bell.
A mark on the front of the machine reads: BRUNSVIGA. A second mark there reads: No 4644. A third mark (part of the Brunsviga trademark) is: G.N.& C.C.a.A. A mark on the left side of the machine reads: Grimme, Natalis & Co.(/) Braunschweig - Brunswick (/) System W.T. Odhner. It includes a list of patents from Germany (64925), Belgium (91812), England (13700). Austria (45538), Hungary (69363); Switzerland (4578), and France (301119 and 303744). The United States is also listed, but no patent date is given. A fifth mark, on a property sticker attached to the back of the carriage reads: DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE (/) 10248-WB-Z.
The case has a wooden base and a metal lid painted black, with a leather handle and a place for a lock at the front. A cloth bag with small loose parts is stored with the machine.
The Weather Bureau of the United States Department of Commerce transferred this machine to the Smithsonian in 1958.
Reference:
E. Martin, The Calculating Machines (Die Rechenmaschinen), trans. P. A. Kidwell and M. R. Williams, Cambridge: MIT Press, 1992, pp. 109–113.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1902
maker
Grimme, Natalis & Co.
ID Number
MA.315904
catalog number
315904
accession number
222974
maker number
4644

Grant Grasshopper Calculating Machine

This lever-set, non-printing manually operated connection pawl calculating machine has an open iron frame with steel and brass parts and paper labels. Five pins at the front of the machine slide back to set numbers.
Description
This lever-set, non-printing manually operated connection pawl calculating machine has an open iron frame with steel and brass parts and paper labels. Five pins at the front of the machine slide back to set numbers. Next to each pin is a thin strip of paper that has the digits from 0 to 9 printed on it, the digits increasing toward the back of the machine. Each strip also has complementary digits in smaller type, for use in subtraction and division. Moving back a pin drives back a toothed rack.
Behind the racks is a movable carriage with 11 gears on it. A paper strip with digits on it is next to each gear. Turning a crank at the front right of the machine moves the racks back so that they engage the gears, turning each one of them in proportion to the number set.
This machine has a pin which can be set to prevent the crank from turning. When the adding frame reaches the end of its backward movement, a cam set on the crank shaft at the front raises all the register gears a little so that the gears are disengaged from the racks and not moved in the return motion.
The cam on this machine is smaller than on other Grant grasshopper machines. One tooth on each gear extends so that when the gear has made a complete rotation, it engages one of the carry teeth arranged on a spiral shaft above the carriage. As the adding racks return to position, the shaft revolves and the carry tooth pushes the next gear up by one, resulting in a carry. Releasing the carriage and turning it one revolution zeros the result shaft.
The carriage on this machine appears to be frozen in place. An aluminum support at the back causes the top to slope forward.
A paper tag to the right of the pins for setting up numbers reads: Grant Calculating Machine Company (/) LEXINGTON, MASS., U.S.A. (/) MACHINE NUMBER 41 M.
Compare MA.310647, MA.310648, MA.323615 and MA.335633.
This machine is from the collection of L. Leland Locke.
References:
Machinery, October, 1895.
E. Martin, The Calculating Machines (Die Rechenmaschinen), trans. P. A. Kidwell and M. R. Williams, Cambridge: MIT Press, 1992, p. 77.
G. B. Grant, "Calculating-Machine," U. S. Patent 605,288 (June 7, 1898).
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1896
maker
Grant Calculating Machine Company
ID Number
MA.311941
catalog number
311941
accession number
155183
maker number
41M

Monroe Model K-16 Calculating Machine

The manual, full-keyboard non-printing modified stepped drum calculating machine has a metal frame painted black and a steel keyboard painted green. Eight columns of uniformly shaped black and white color-coded keys serve for data entry.
Description
The manual, full-keyboard non-printing modified stepped drum calculating machine has a metal frame painted black and a steel keyboard painted green. Eight columns of uniformly shaped black and white color-coded keys serve for data entry. At the bottom of each column is a red clearance key. Metal rods between the rows of keys are decimal markers. Three key stems are in a column to the right of the number keys. One clears the entire keyboard. The other two are set to determine whether or not the keyboard clears after each calculation (at least one of these keys looks like a replacement). A metal lever is right of the keyboard and a metal knob to the left. The operating crank on the right side rotates clockwise for addition and counterclockwise for subtraction.
The carriage behind the keyboard has a row of 16 black numeral dials for recording results, and a row of eight white numeral dials which serve as a revolution register. The revolution register, which has no carry, has black digits for addition and red ones for subtraction. Two thin metal rods between the windows for these registers carry decimal markers. The carriage shift crank is at the front of the machine. A knob for lifting the carriage is right of the result register, and a crank for zeroing dials on the carriage is on its right side. There are four rubber feet. A bell rings when the result passes through zero (as in over-division).
A mark on the front of the machine reads: MONROE. A mark on the back reads: MONROE (/) Calculating Machine Company (/) New York, U.S.A. The serial number, recorded on the bottom edge of the left side of the carriage, is 91928
Reference:
J. H. McCarthy, The Business Machines and Equipment Digest, 1928, pp. 9-29 to 9-33.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1927
maker
Monroe Calculating Machine Company
ID Number
1984.0682.05
catalog number
1984.0682.05
maker number
91928
accession number
1984.0682

Monopol Calculating Machine

This lever-set non-printing pinwheel duplex calculating machine has six levers that are rotated forward to set digits from 0 to 9. The pinwheels that carry out arithmetic operations are not beneath the levers but in a separate row of wheels in back of them.
Description
This lever-set non-printing pinwheel duplex calculating machine has six levers that are rotated forward to set digits from 0 to 9. The pinwheels that carry out arithmetic operations are not beneath the levers but in a separate row of wheels in back of them. The machine has a lever at the right bottom front and a crank for shifting the carriage at the center front. The set-up mechanism has two sliding decimal markers.
Behind this mechanism is a large carriage that has a row of 12 result dials at the front, a row of 14 result dials behind this, and a revolution register with seven dials behind these. These dials each have 20 digits around the edge. Alternate digits are for problems in addition and multiplication and for problems in subtraction and division. The windows showing the dials may be set to show either sets of digits. The revolution register has a carry mechanism. Both result registers have sliding decimal markers. Wheels used to set up numbers are between the dials of the result registers. The operating crank is on the left. Two rods are on both the right and the left side of the carriage.
The machine has an extremely heavy steel frame and mechanism. The outside is covered with a layer of silver-colored metal stamped with a small foliate pattern. A mark on the front reads: MONOPOL. A mark on the left side of the carriage reads: A.M. A mark on the right side of the carriage reads: S.D. The serial number, 367, is on a crosspiece visible only when the carriage is lifted.
According to Martin, this was the first pinwheel calculating machine with tens-carry in the revolution register. Monopol machines reportedly were manufactured between 1894 and 1914.
Reference:
E. Martin, The Calculating Machines (Die Rechenmaschinen), trans. P. A. Kidwell and M. R. Williams, Cambridge: MIT Press, 1992, p. 125.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1910
maker
Schubert & Salzer
ID Number
MA.311944
catalog number
311944
accession number
155183

Marchant Model A Pony Calculating Machine

In 1917 the Marchant Calculating Machine Company introduced this compact, lightweight version of its lever-set, non-printing manually operated calculating machine. This is an early example of that “Pony” model.The machine has a black steel housing and a wooden base.
Description
In 1917 the Marchant Calculating Machine Company introduced this compact, lightweight version of its lever-set, non-printing manually operated calculating machine. This is an early example of that “Pony” model.
The machine has a black steel housing and a wooden base. The case is missing. Nine levers rotate forward to set pinwheels. Color-coded numbers between the levers indicate digits set. There is no entry register. Rotating a bar in front of the levers upward zeros an entry. A steel operating crank with a wooden handle extends from the right side of the machine. It rotates backward (clockwise) for addition and multiplication and forward (counterclockwise) for subtraction and division.
A movable carriage at the front of the machine has the 13 windows of the result register on the right and the eight windows of revolution register on the left. The revolution register has no carry mechanism. Sliding decimal markers are above both the entry levers and the registers on the carriage. To move the carriage, one depresses two bars in a metal box at the front of the machine. Wing nuts at the ends of the carriage rotate to zero the registers on it. A bell on the left side of the carriage rings when the result passes through zero. A layer of felt separates the machine and its wooden base.
A metal tag attached to the front of the machine reads: The (/) Marchant (/) MANUFACTURED BY (/) MARCHANT CALCULATING (/) MACHINE CO., Inc. (/) OAKLAND, CAL. (/) PATENTED JUNE 6. 1911 (/) FEB. 22. 1916. The serial number, stamped on the left of the back of the machine, is: No30004. Another maker’s mark, on the back of the carriage at the left, is: 659. The mark of the Museum of the Peaceful Arts is: 27-87
Compare to MA.323602 (different shift control, standard model), MA. 314637 (standard model) .
This machine is from the collection of L. Leland Locke, and was at one time on deposit at the Museums of the Peaceful Arts in New York City.
References:
Accession File.
J. H. McCarthy, The American Digest of Business Machines, Chicago: American Exchange Service, 1924, p. 549.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1918
maker
Marchant Calculating Machine Company, Inc.
ID Number
MA.311952
catalog number
311952
accession number
155183
maker number
30004/659

Calculating Machine Components, Possibly Monroe

These objects were collected by Brooklyn high school teacher and historian of mathematics L. Leland Locke.
Description
These objects were collected by Brooklyn high school teacher and historian of mathematics L. Leland Locke. The cloth bag held two frame pieces, nine key stems with white keys,one key stem with a red key, two numeral wheels (one with red and black numbers on white and one white numbers on black), four pieces from a selector mechanism and carry trigger (three disc-shaped and one shaped like a spool of thread), twp small metal pieces, and five small screws in two shapes.
Location
Currently not on view
ID Number
1983.3003.034
nonaccession number
1983.3003
catalog number
1983.3003.034

Marchant Model G-8EFA Calculating Machine (Figuremaster)

This full-keyboard, proportional gear non-printing electric calculating machine has a metal case painted blue-green with a metal keyboard painted gray, and eight columns of green and white plastic keys.
Description
This full-keyboard, proportional gear non-printing electric calculating machine has a metal case painted blue-green with a metal keyboard painted gray, and eight columns of green and white plastic keys. At the bottom of each column is a tabulator set key These tab keys are numbered from 1 on the right to 8 on the left.
Right of the number keys are a small on-off switch; division, line up, and stop keys; subtraction and addition bars; a non-shift key; a repeat key; a negative multiplication bar; and two carriage shift keys. In front of these are clearance keys for the tab set, the keyboard, and the dials. Right of these is a column of ten keys for automatic multiplication. Above the number keys is a row of eight windows to show a number set up.
Behind the entry register is a movable carriage with an 16-window result register and an eight-window revolution register. The motor is at the back of the machine, inside the case. The machine presently has no cord.
A mark on the bottom of the machine and scratched on the front reads: G8EFA 394253. A paper tag attached to the bottom reads in part: MARCHANT. It also reads in part: Figuremaster
The Marchant Model 8EFA sold from at least 1951 until at least 1958.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1952
maker
Marchant Calculating Machine Company
ID Number
MA.335380
accession number
318944
maker number
394253
catalog number
335380

Millionaire Calculating Machine Stand

The large heavy adding and calculating machines that began to sell widely in the early 20th century were not easy to move about. Purchasers also often bought metal stands like this one. The object is painted black and has four rubber feet.
Description
The large heavy adding and calculating machines that began to sell widely in the early 20th century were not easy to move about. Purchasers also often bought metal stands like this one. The object is painted black and has four rubber feet. Stands for smaller machines would often have a shelf on which the operator could place related paperwork.
For related object, see Millionaire calculating machine 1986.3114.01.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1904
maker
Egli, Hans W.
ID Number
1986.3114.02
catalog number
1986.3114.02
nonaccession number
1986.3114

Sheet of Drawings of the Scheutz Difference Engine

When the Scheutz difference engine was shipped to the Dudley Observatory in Albany, New York, in 1857, all the instructions provided for its use were this set of drawings and a letter explaining the procedure for converting the machine from operation in one number system to anoth
Description
When the Scheutz difference engine was shipped to the Dudley Observatory in Albany, New York, in 1857, all the instructions provided for its use were this set of drawings and a letter explaining the procedure for converting the machine from operation in one number system to another.
The frail tan paper sheet has a white cloth backing. On the sheet are 14 drawings labeled Fig. 1 through Figure 14. The figures are similar to but not identical with those in the final specifications for British Patent A.D. 1854, No. 2214, as reproduced in Merzbach. The numbering is somewhat different.
For a related object, see the Scheutz difference engine, MA.323659.
Reference:
Merzbach, Uta C., Georg Scheutz and the First Printing Calculator, Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution Press, 1977.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1857
maker
Georg and Edvard Scheutz
ID Number
1988.0798.01
accession number
1988.0798
catalog number
1988.0798.01

Grant Calculating Machine Component

This object was collected by Brooklyn high school teacher and historian of mathematics L. Leland Locke and held by the Museums of the Peaceful Arts in New York City before coming to the Smithsonian. Nine cylinders are mounted on a common shaft.
Description
This object was collected by Brooklyn high school teacher and historian of mathematics L. Leland Locke and held by the Museums of the Peaceful Arts in New York City before coming to the Smithsonian. Nine cylinders are mounted on a common shaft. Each of the first four cylinders has a lever and a spring-activated device attached to it. On the fourth cylinder, there is a linkage to a fifth cylinder. The fifth cylinder has only a spring-activated device attached to it. The sixth through ninth cylinders have two such devices each, at varying separations. There are levers to the left of each cylinder.
Location
Currently not on view
maker
George B. Grant
ID Number
1983.3003.011
nonaccession number
1983.3003
catalog number
1983.3003.011

Pamphlet, Directions for the Use of Calculating Machines

This pamphlet gives instructions for using Original-Odhner calculating machines. It was printed in Sweden by A. Lindgren & Soener.The directions came with calculating machine 1978.2290.01 (catalog number 336873).Currently not on view
Description
This pamphlet gives instructions for using Original-Odhner calculating machines. It was printed in Sweden by A. Lindgren & Soener.
The directions came with calculating machine 1978.2290.01 (catalog number 336873).
Location
Currently not on view
issuing authority
Aktiebolaget Original Odhner
ID Number
1978.2290.02
accession number
1978.2290
catalog number
1978.2290.02

Controller Calculating Machine Components

These components are six round steel shafts, each carrying a metal stepped drum and related components. Five of them are marked with the number of the Museums of the Peaceful Arts: 27-70. A sixth shaft had no mark.Compare to 1983.3003.38.Currently not on view
Description
These components are six round steel shafts, each carrying a metal stepped drum and related components. Five of them are marked with the number of the Museums of the Peaceful Arts: 27-70. A sixth shaft had no mark.
Compare to 1983.3003.38.
Location
Currently not on view
maker
Controller Company
ID Number
1983.3003.019
nonaccession number
1983.3003
catalog number
1983.3003.019

Calculating Machine Components

These objects were collected by Brooklyn high school teacher and historian of mathematics L. Leland Locke. Each of these small brass and steel calculating machine components has the dimensions given. The brass frame contains a spring-driven prawl.Currently not on view
Description
These objects were collected by Brooklyn high school teacher and historian of mathematics L. Leland Locke. Each of these small brass and steel calculating machine components has the dimensions given. The brass frame contains a spring-driven prawl.
Location
Currently not on view
ID Number
1983.3003.026
nonaccession number
1983.3003
catalog number
1983.3003.026

Peerless Calculating Machine

This manually operated, non-printing stepped drum calculating machine has a brass mechanism on an iron support, both painted black. The machine is mounted on a slab of wood and has a rough wooden cover.Eight levers are used to set stepped drums.
Description
This manually operated, non-printing stepped drum calculating machine has a brass mechanism on an iron support, both painted black. The machine is mounted on a slab of wood and has a rough wooden cover.
Eight levers are used to set stepped drums. A row of windows below the levers reveals the number entered. A lever on the left is set for addition and multiplication or subtraction and division. A crank on the right is turned repeatedly to calculate.
A movable carriage has a row of nine small windows at the front that reveal discs below that register the number of revolutions. A row of 16 discs behind this records the result. Zeroing levers for both of these registers are on the right side of the carriage, and a handle for lifting the carriage is on the left. A zeroing handle for the stepped drums is on the left side of the front of the machine. A bell rings when the result passes through zero.
A mark on the cover reads: Peerless. A mark on the front of the machine reads: KEUFFEL & ESSER Co (/) NEW YORK. Another mark there reads: GERMANY. The serial number, marked on the back rim of the carriage at the left, is 3563.
Compare MA.325564, MA.326642, and MA.323628.
This machine was donated by Robert E. Devine of Rockville, Maryland, in 1964.Web sources suggest the was Robert E. Devine (1927-2016), a native of Washington, DC,who had degrees in library science and worked at the Library of Congress and as Chief Information Officer at the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Devine died at his retirement home in Port Orange, Florida.
In about 1904, the German firm of Mathias Bäuerle, a manufacturer of clocks, began making a stepped drum calculating machine on the design of Tobias Bäuerle, a son of the founder of the company. It was dubbed the Peerless. Keuffel & Esser Company, an American manufacturer of drawing instruments, soon offered the Peerless in its catalogs.
The 1913 Keuffel & Esser catalog (p. 292–293), 1915 catalog (pp. 292–293), and 1921 catalog (pp. 290–291) show a machine like this one, although it is marked “PEERLESS” on the side. The placement of the Keuffel & Esser mark is different, and one of the zeroing levers apparently is on the left, not the right, side of the carriage. In 1913, the machine was offered in 3 capacities, 6x7x12, 8x9x16, and 10x11x20. These versions sold for $250.00, $300.00, and $375.00. K & E no longer offered a reckoning machine in its 1927 catalog, and Peerless was not making a machine of this capacity by 1928.
References:
Keuffel & Esser, Catalog.
E. Martin, The Calculating Machines (die Rechenmaschinen), trans. P. A. Kidwell and M. R. Williams, Cambridge: MIT Press, 1992, pp. 149–151.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1915
distributor
Keuffel & Esser Co.
retailer
Keuffel & Esser Co.
ID Number
MA.325564
catalog number
325564
accession number
255933

TIM Calculating Machine

This heavy, stepped drum, full-keyboard electric calculating machine has a metal frame painted black and green, and eight columns of black and white plastic numeral keys. The carriage is in back of the machine, with nine revolution counter wheels and sixteen result wheels.
Description
This heavy, stepped drum, full-keyboard electric calculating machine has a metal frame painted black and green, and eight columns of black and white plastic numeral keys. The carriage is in back of the machine, with nine revolution counter wheels and sixteen result wheels. Both the revolution counter and the result register have sliding decimal markers. Digits can be set in the revolution register using thumbscrews. A bell rings when the result passes through 0.
The machine sits on a metal stand, also painted black, which holds the machine above and the motor below. The nine silver-colored metal digit keys below the keyboard toward the front of the stand are numbered from left to right. The crank for operating the machine manually is to the right of the keyboard. Left of the keyboard is a lever that can be set for addition/multiplication or subtraction/division. The cord is on the right front of the machine.
A mark on the carriage reads: Ludwig Spitz & Co. (/) G.m.b.H. (/) T I M (/) TIME IS MONEY (/) TRADE MARK. A small metal tag attached below the row of metal keys at the front of the machine reads: 860. The machine is stamped on the left side underneath the carriage: 12571.
The Berlin maker Ludvig Spitz began his business offering sturdy, manually operated, stepped drum calculating machines. After World War I, he introduced key-set machines like this one. The example comes from the collections of Felt & Tarrant Manufacturing Company.
Reference:
E. Martin, The Calculating Machines (die Rechenmaschinen), trans. P. A. Kidwell and M. R. Williams, Cambridge: MIT Press, 1992, pp. 191–194.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1920s
maker
Ludwig Spitz & Co.
ID Number
MA.323587
accession number
250163
maker number
860
catalog number
323587

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