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: Drawing Instruments

Pen Point for Drawing Compass

This leg for a drawing compass has a brass top, which is jointed, and German silver pen points with an adjusting screw. Loosening the screw increases the width of the pen line to be drawn.
Description
This leg for a drawing compass has a brass top, which is jointed, and German silver pen points with an adjusting screw. Loosening the screw increases the width of the pen line to be drawn. At the turn of the 20th century, compasses frequently came with interchangeable legs, one for drawing with pencil lead and one for drawing with ink. The compass to which this pen point belonged may have been part of a set of drawing instruments. Due to its different shape and materials, it is probably not from the same compass as MA.335336.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1900
ID Number
MA.335338
accession number
305958
catalog number
335338

Hairspring Compass

The handle on this metal instrument is connected to the point and can be pulled out of the cylinder that is the compass's main leg. The other leg is screwed to the cylinder with a metal slat.
Description
The handle on this metal instrument is connected to the point and can be pulled out of the cylinder that is the compass's main leg. The other leg is screwed to the cylinder with a metal slat. A screw goes through this leg and can be loosened or tightened to adjust the radius of a circle drawn with the compass. A second screw adjusts the tube that holds a pencil point. Draftsmen used the hairspring compass to precisely draw small circles.
Keuffel & Esser, an American maker and dealer of slide rules and drawing instruments, donated this object to the Smithsonian in 1971. Part of a paper tag received with the object has been lost, but the remaining portion suggests this instrument may have come from Leipzig, Germany. None of the compasses offered in K&E catalogs in 1909, 1921, or 1936 resemble this instrument.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1900
maker
Keuffel & Esser Co.
ID Number
MA.335261
accession number
306012
catalog number
335261

Pencil Holder for Drawing Compass

This brass leg for a drawing compass has a screw for adjusting the width of the pencil lead holder. A joint at the top bends to a right angle.
Description
This brass leg for a drawing compass has a screw for adjusting the width of the pencil lead holder. A joint at the top bends to a right angle. At the turn of the 20th century, brass drawing instruments were made for school use, while engineers and draftsmen used instruments made from German silver and steel. This object may have originally been part of a wooden case of drawing instruments. It resembles but is not identical to the pencil point in a case sold for $5.00 by Keuffel & Esser in 1892 and compasses sold for 60¢ by W. & L. E. Gurley in 1903 and 1906.
References: Catalogue and Price-List of Keuffel & Esser Co., 23rd ed. (New York, 1892), 95; A Manual of the Principal Instruments . . . Manufactured by W. & L. E. Gurley, 37th ed. (Troy, N.Y., 1903), 322–323; A Manual of the Principal Instruments . . . Manufactured by W. & L. E. Gurley, 39th ed. (Troy, N.Y., 1906), 322–323.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1900
ID Number
MA.335336
accession number
305958
catalog number
335336

T-Square

This 51-1/2" wooden T-square has a scalloped top piece attached to the handle by 6 brass screws. A hole at the end of the handle is for hanging the instrument. It has no markings, but paint and ink stains on the handle indicate it was heavily used.
Description
This 51-1/2" wooden T-square has a scalloped top piece attached to the handle by 6 brass screws. A hole at the end of the handle is for hanging the instrument. It has no markings, but paint and ink stains on the handle indicate it was heavily used. The dating of other objects from this donor suggests this instrument was made about 1900. Compare to MA.328396 and MA.328397.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1900
ID Number
MA.328398
accession number
272517
catalog number
328398

Kidjel Ratio Cali-Pro Proportional Dividers

This metal instrument has two long arms and two short arms, all colored gold and arranged as in a pantograph. Needle points are bolted to both ends of the long arms. The arms are fixed at a desired distance with a thumbscrew on a central rod.
Description
This metal instrument has two long arms and two short arms, all colored gold and arranged as in a pantograph. Needle points are bolted to both ends of the long arms. The arms are fixed at a desired distance with a thumbscrew on a central rod. Unlike a pantograph or standard proportional dividers, the instrument is not marked so that it may be set for a variety of proportional relationships and thus be used to create scale drawings at a variety of sizes. Instead, the inventor, Honolulu portrait artist Maurice Kidjel (1888–1976), designed the instrument so that it always preserved a ratio of 5.333 : 1. To create drawings in this "universal ratio," the user set the long needles at the width of the large part of the drawing and then turned the dividers over to use the short needles to make a small part of the drawing in proportion to the large part of the drawing.
A large white cardboard box is marked in maroon on the top and both ends: THE KIDJEL RATIO (/) CALI-PRO. According to a mark on the bottom, the box was manufactured by Christian & Co., Inc., of North Hollywood, Calif. Cardboard and yellow foam inside the box provided support and cushioning to the dividers and related documentation.
Russian-born Kidjel and his business partner, Kenneth W. K. Young, began selling this device for $25.00 around 1960. According to the advertising flyer received with the object (MA.304213.04), the dividers were used only to lay out designs in the "universal ratio." However, Kidjel also believed that this ratio was the key to solving the three classic construction problems of Greek antiquity. His solutions, constructed with a compass and straight edge, appeared in the textbook distributed with the Cali-Pro (MA.304213.03). His work depended on a false definition of pi and thus is not mathematically valid. Nonetheless, Daniel Inouye read a tribute to Kidjel's ratio system into the U.S. Congressional Record on June 3, 1960. Although Kidjel's foray into mathematical proof was not successful, the dividers were relatively popular with draftsmen in the 1960s and 1970s. Kidjel was also widely respected as an artist, and his artwork was exhibited at the Smithsonian in June 1947.
References: Maurice Kidjel, The Two Hours that Shook the Mathematical World (Hawaii Art Publishing Co., 1958); Maurice Kidjel and Kenneth W. K. Young, Challenging and Solving the "3 Impossibles" (Honolulu: Kidjel-Young Associates, [1961]); Advertisement for Kidjel Cali-Pro, Art Education 15, no. 4 (1962): 2; Maurice Kidjel, "Proportional Calipers" (U.S. Patent 3,226,835 issued January 4, 1966; UK Patent 1,039,636 issued August 17, 1966); Martin Gardner, "Mathematical Games," Scientific American 214 (June 1966): 116–122.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1962
maker
Kidjel, Maurice
ID Number
MA.333876
accession number
304213
catalog number
333876

Magazine Case of Drawing Instruments

This polished wooden case has an unmarked brass plate on the lid. A lock is on the front of the case, which is lined with blue velvet.
Description
This polished wooden case has an unmarked brass plate on the lid. A lock is on the front of the case, which is lined with blue velvet. The top tray holds:
1) 2-1/8" metal joint tightener.
2) One 6-1/4" and two 5-1/4" German silver and ivory drawing pens.
3) 4-7/8" German silver and ivory dotting pen.
4) 1-5/8" metal straight pin.
5) 2-3/4" and 3-3/4" German silver and steel pencil points and pen points, none of which appear to fit any of the drawing compasses in the case.
6) 4-1/4" German silver and steel dividers with bendable legs.
7) 5-1/4" German silver and steel dividers. The removable leg is broken.
8) 3" steel and ivory bow pencil and bow dividers.
9) 2-3/4" steel and ivory bow pen.
10) Two 9/16" metal thumbtacks marked: KEUFFEL & ESSER Co.
11) Three 7/16" metal thumbtacks.
The second tray holds:
1) 2" German silver beam compass with steel needle, pen, pencil, and divider points. There is no connecting beam for the compass.
2) 4-1/2" German silver and ivory opsimeter (measuring wheel).
3) 3-3/4" brass semicircular protractor divided to single degrees and numbered by tens in both directions from 0 to 180.
4) 4-7/8" and 4" steel and wood lettering pens. The lettering point on the longer pen is marked: &C2. The lettering point on the shorter pen is marked: 6 (/) JOSEPH.
5) Sixteen metal lettering pen nibs of various sizes. Eight are marked: JOSEPH GILLOT'S (/) CROW QUILL. Four are marked: C. BRANDAUER (/) BIRMINGHAM. Two are marked: M. L. LEMAN'S (/) EXTRA LINE. One is marked: ELLSWORTH PEN (/) D. APPLETON & Co (/) NEW YORK E F. One is marked: HARRISON (/) 505 (/) BRADFORD.
6) 1-1/8" steel and brass pen point.
7) Paintbrush with broken clear plastic handle.
Loose in the three-sectioned bottom of the case are:
1) 5-1/8" German silver extension bar that does not appear to fit the dividers in the top tray.
2) Two wood and graphite pencils, one of which is marked: A. W. FABER. No I. There are also five sharpened end pieces of wooden pencils.
3) 6-1/2" wooden art stick.
4) 1" green rubber eraser marked: NEWMAN'S (/) EMERALD GREEN (/) SOHO SQUARE. There are also two pieces of red eraser and an unidentifiable hardened gray piece.
5) 1-1/8" metal key.
6) Folded piece of paper with red ink powder.
7) 1-5/8" red and blue crayons. There are also numerous broken pieces of crayons and pencil leads.
The donors' family was prominent in the history of American science. John William Draper (1811–1882) was a chemist who also made innovations in photography. He had three sons: John C. Draper (1835–1885), who was a physician and chemist; Henry Draper (1837–1882), who was an astronomical photographer; and Daniel Draper (1841–1931), who established the New York Meteorological Observatory in Central Park in 1868 and directed it until 1911.
References: William Ford Stanley, Mathematical Drawing and Measuring Instruments, 6th ed. (London: E. & F. N. Spon, 1888), 288; "Brandauer Timeline," http://brandauer.co.uk/timeline/; Robert S. Harding and Jeffrey L. Tate, "Draper Family Collection, ca. 1826–1936," Archives Center, National Museum of American History, http://amhistory.si.edu/archives/d8121.htm.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
early 20th century
ID Number
MA.335355
accession number
304826
catalog number
335355

Set of Drawing Instruments

This wooden case is lined with blue paper, silk, and velvet. It fastens with brass hooks. The lid has space for a metal plaque, but the plaque is no longer present.
Description
This wooden case is lined with blue paper, silk, and velvet. It fastens with brass hooks. The lid has space for a metal plaque, but the plaque is no longer present. The paper on the bottom of the case has had letters scratched into it: ME DR EGM (/) DR E GATLIN MILLER (/) 4347 LAUREL CANYON (/) STUDIO CITY (/) CALI. A compartment inside the lid has a slat for a protractor, but there are no instruments in the compartment.
The main section holds: 6-3/8" brass and steel dividers with a removable leg, reversible needle point, pen and pencil point attachments, and lengthening bar; 4" brass and steel fixed leg dividers with a reversible needle point; 6-1/4" German silver and steel drawing pen with an ivory handle (the handle is broken); 2-3/16" ivory handle broken off another drawing pen (not in the set); 2-1/2" brass and steel pen point for a compass (not in the set); and 3-1/4" German silver and steel drawing pen. Empty slots in the case and instruments that do not fit the slots properly suggest that most of the objects are not original to the set. Compare to 315411 and 323412.
E. Gatlin Miller, a dentist, donated this case of instruments in 1961. An Elmer Gatlin Miller (1898–1962), a native of Kirksville, Mo., who served in the Army Training Corps at the normal school during World War I, earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Southern California in 1925.
References: El Rodeo Yearbook (University of Southern California, 1924), 202; Missouri Digital Heritage Initiative, Soldiers' Records: War of 1812–World War I, http://www.sos.mo.gov/archives/soldiers/details.asp?id=A88644&conflict=World%20War%20I&txtName=lme&selConflict=All&txtUnit=&rbBranch=&offset=1650.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
early 20th century
ID Number
MA.318491
accession number
234123
catalog number
318491

Japanese L-Square with Calipers

This 8" brass T-square is shaped like an L and has a second short leg attached to a slide on the long leg. On one side, the outer edge of the square is divided into units of 1-3/16" (3 cm), roughly equivalent to the sun, a traditional Japanese unit of length.
Description
This 8" brass T-square is shaped like an L and has a second short leg attached to a slide on the long leg. On one side, the outer edge of the square is divided into units of 1-3/16" (3 cm), roughly equivalent to the sun, a traditional Japanese unit of length. Each unit is subdivided into 20 parts. The units on the long leg are marked with an O, with three circles marking the fifth unit. The inner edge of the long leg has a 15-centimeter scale, divided to millimeters. The back of the square has a diagonal scale. Compare to MA.261296.
In 1876 the Japanese Empire Department of Education exhibited many instruments at the Centennial International Exhibition, a World’s Fair held in Philadelphia. After the exhibition, John Eaton, the U.S. Commissioner of Education, arranged for the transfer of Japan's entire exhibit to the Bureau of Education (then part of the Department of the Interior) for a planned museum. The museum closed in 1906, and much of the collection, including this object, was transferred to the Smithsonian in 1910.
References: Japan. Department of Education, An Outline History of Japanese Education: Prepared for the Philadelphia International Exhibition, 1876 (New York: D. Appleton, 1876), 121–122, 191–202; U.S. Centennial Commission, International Exhibition, 1876. Reports and Awards, ed. Francis A. Walker (Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, 1880), viii:143, 335; U.S. Bureau of Education, Annual Report of the Commissioner (1876), ccxi–ccxii.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
before 1876
ID Number
MA.261304
accession number
51116
catalog number
261304

Advertising Leaflet for Kidjel Ratio Cali-Pro

This yellow fold-out leaflet was received with 333876. It provides instructions for the Cali-Pro, a proportional divider developed by Maurice Kidjel for making drawings in what Kidjel believed was the "universal ratio," 5.333 : 1. Kidjel and his business associate, Kenneth W. K.
Description
This yellow fold-out leaflet was received with 333876. It provides instructions for the Cali-Pro, a proportional divider developed by Maurice Kidjel for making drawings in what Kidjel believed was the "universal ratio," 5.333 : 1. Kidjel and his business associate, Kenneth W. K. Young, filled orders for the device from an office in Honolulu, Hawaii. The leaflet contains examples of applications and testimonials. It was copyrighted in 1962.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1962
maker
Young, Kenneth W. K.
ID Number
MA.304213.04
accession number
1973.304213
catalog number
304213.04

The Kidjel Ratio System Instruction Manual

The citation information for this spiral-bound book is: Maurice Kidjel, The Kidjel Ratio System 5.333/1 (Honolulu, 1962).
Description
The citation information for this spiral-bound book is: Maurice Kidjel, The Kidjel Ratio System 5.333/1 (Honolulu, 1962). It was received with an example of Kidjel's Cali-Pro proportional dividers (MA.333876), and a warranty card for the Cali-Pro is inside the front cover of the book. After a biographical note, Kidjel provided supposed solutions to the three classic construction problems of Greek antiquity (trisecting the angle, squaring the circle, and doubling the cube).
Although the Cali-Pro was not needed for these attempted solutions, in part two of the book Kidjel explained how to make these and other, more standard, solutions with the device. Next, he discussed how his ratio applied to the human body. Finally, he explained how to use the Cali-Pro in various fields of industrial design, such as architecture and publishing. A brief biography of Kidjel's business partner, Kenneth W. K. Young, is found inside the back cover. The back cover reproduces a portion of then-U.S. Representative Daniel Inouye's remarks about the Kidjel ratio system, read into the Congressional Record of the 86th Congress.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1962
author
Kidjel, Maurice
Young, Kenneth W. K.
ID Number
MA.304213.03
accession number
304213
catalog number
304213.03

Keuffel & Esser 506 Beam Compass

This German silver instrument has a rectangular bar 43" long with a micrometer adjustment on one end. The bar has two centimeter scales, divided to millimeters, and two inch scales, divided to twentieths of an inch.
Description
This German silver instrument has a rectangular bar 43" long with a micrometer adjustment on one end. The bar has two centimeter scales, divided to millimeters, and two inch scales, divided to twentieths of an inch. One centimeter scale and one inch scale are underneath a frame that holds a needle point and is marked with the micrometer scale and with the words: KEUFFEL & ESSER Co (/) NEW YORK (/) Paragon. The other scale is marked from 1 to 101 cm and 40". A second frame (or trammel) may be moved along these scales and has a holder for a pencil point. Pen and needle points in the case may replace the pencil point. A finer needle point mentioned in K&E catalogs is missing from the case. A two-wheeled attachment slides on to the bar to help control the bar's movement.
The rectangular mahogany case has a section for the accessories and three supports, lined with green velvet. K&E introduced the Paragon brand in 1901 for its finest imported and American-made products. In 1909, the company sold model number 506 for $35.00. It discontinued the instrument between 1921 and 1936. The U.S. Naval Observatory transferred this example to the Smithsonian in 1965.
References: Catalogue of Keuffel & Esser Co. , 33rd ed. (New York, 1909), 42–46, 52, 68; Catalogue of Keuffel & Esser Co. , 36th ed. (New York, 1921), 65.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1901-1936
maker
Keuffel & Esser Co.
ID Number
MA.326473
accession number
260028
catalog number
326473

Pocket Case of Drawing Instruments

This 18th-century pocket-sized wooden case is covered with black fish skin. It currently holds ten drawing instruments:1) A 4" brass semicircular protractor, divided to single degrees and numbered by tens in both directions from 10 to 180.
Description
This 18th-century pocket-sized wooden case is covered with black fish skin. It currently holds ten drawing instruments:
1) A 4" brass semicircular protractor, divided to single degrees and numbered by tens in both directions from 10 to 180. It is marked: Butterfield AParis.
2) A 6-3/4" brass folding combination set square and ruler. The outer edges of the legs have scales for French inches, numbered by ones from 1 to 6. The inner edges are divided to ten degrees and numbered from 5 to 110. One leg is marked: Demi Pied de Roi [half a king's foot] (/) Butterfield AParis. This leg has a slit and pinhole for hanging a plumb line and a rounded cut-out. The other leg is marked: 6 pouces du vin [6 inches of wine].
3) A 6-3/4" brass French-style sector with straight edges. One side has double scales of equal parts, running from 10 to 200 (misnumbered as 120); of planes (unlabeled), running from 10 to 60; and for inscribed regular polygons, from 12 sides to 3 sides. The outer edge of one leg has an unlabeled scale for the size of artillery shot, running from 4 to 24.
The other side has double scales of chords, running from 10 to 180; of solids, running from 5 to 60; and for the specific weights of five metals. The outer edge of one leg has an unlabeled scale for the weight of artillery shot, running from 4 to 24. This side is marked: Butterfield (/) AParis. Compare to MA.321676, MA.321677, and 1985.0580.04.
4) A 4-1/2" brass dotter, for marking a paper so that the lines of the drawing could be filled in later.
5) A second 6-3/4" brass folding combination set square and ruler. The outer edge of one leg has a scale for French inches, numbered by ones from 1 to 6, and a slot, pinhole, and rectangular cutout for a plumb line. This leg is marked: Langlois aux Galleries du Louvre AParis. The other leg has a plotting scale numbered by hundreds from 100 to 900, with a diagonal scale at the left end.
6) A pair of 4-3/4" brass and steel dividers.
7) A pair of 4" brass and steel dividers with a removable point.
8) A brass dotter attachment that would fit the longer dividers if one point could be removed.
9) A pencil point that nearly fits the smaller dividers.
10) A brass and steel pen point that fits the smaller dividers.
As was typical for sets of drawing instruments, there is not a one-to-one correspondence between the slots in the case and the instruments stored in them. Draftsmen often purchased cases and drawing instruments separately, buying only what they actually used. Over time, instruments were also lost or replaced.
Michael Butterfield (1635–1724) was an English instrument maker who worked in France from around 1677 until his death. He was best known for his distinctive sundials. Claude Langlois (d. 1756) and his successors operated a workshop in Paris from 1730 to 1780. The Smithsonian acquired this object in 1959. Henry Russell Wray, the previous owner, graduated from the University of Pennsylvania and was a businessman in Colorado Springs, Colo., in the early 20th century.
References: Maya Hambly, Drawing Instruments, 1580–1980 (London: Sotheby's Publications, 1988), 24, 28, 134–135; Adler Planetarium, Webster Signature Database, http://historydb.adlerplanetarium.org/signatures/.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
mid 18th century
maker
Butterfield, Michael
ID Number
MA.316914
accession number
228694
catalog number
316914

Dancing Leg Calipers

Calipers are used to measure round objects, both around the outside (machine parts, rifle shot) and from the inside (a rifle barrel).
Description
Calipers are used to measure round objects, both around the outside (machine parts, rifle shot) and from the inside (a rifle barrel). They were often included in cases of drawing instruments in the 18th and 19th centuries and shaped like the human body, mainly for the enjoyment of the machinist or draftsman. This pair is missing its set screw and has been welded into a fixed position. It has no identifying marks.
References: Maya Hambly, Drawing Instruments: 1580–1980 (London: Sotheby's Publications, 1988), 73, 88.
Sotheby & Company, Catalogue of a Collection of Scientific Instruments, the Property of the Late Henry Russel Wray, London, 1959 (a copy of the catalogue is in the accession file).
Location
Currently not on view
date made
19th century
ID Number
MA.316932
accession number
219305
catalog number
316932

Crayon Holder and Extension Bar

A 3-3/8" round brass handle has an opening for inserting a crayon. It is not marked. The second object is a 3-1/2" hexagonal brass bar with hollow steel ends. One end is marked with the number 24 and the letter L. The other end is marked with the number 22 and the letter P.
Description
A 3-3/8" round brass handle has an opening for inserting a crayon. It is not marked. The second object is a 3-1/2" hexagonal brass bar with hollow steel ends. One end is marked with the number 24 and the letter L. The other end is marked with the number 22 and the letter P. The bar could be inserted into a pen handle to accommodate different sizes of leads, although the ends and the openings in the ends have the same diameters.
The two writing instruments are made from brass of different colors, so the pieces may not belong together. The dates of objects purchased with these writing instruments suggest they were made in the 18th century. Crayon holders and double-ended pencil holders were known in Europe by the 17th century and widespread by the 18th century.
References: Maya Hambly, Drawing Instruments, 1580–1980 (London: Sotheby's Publications, 1988), 65–66.
Sotheby & Company, Catalogue of a Collection of Scientific Instruments, the Property of the Late Henry Russel Wray, London, 1959 (a copy of the catalogue is in the accession file).
Location
Currently not on view
date made
18th century
ID Number
MA.316936
accession number
228694
catalog number
316936

Open Triangle

This unmarked 6" 30°-60°-90° triangle with an open interior is made of two different woods, with a section of darker wood set between two sections of lighter wood. The dating of other objects from this donor suggests the triangle was made around 1900. Compare to MA.335329.
Description
This unmarked 6" 30°-60°-90° triangle with an open interior is made of two different woods, with a section of darker wood set between two sections of lighter wood. The dating of other objects from this donor suggests the triangle was made around 1900. Compare to MA.335329. James W. Queen of Philadelphia sold a similar walnut or mahogany triangle with a maple inlay for 50¢ in 1883.
Reference: James W. Queen & Co., Priced and Illustrated Catalogue of Mathematical Instruments (Philadelphia, 1883), 51.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1900
ID Number
MA.335330
catalog number
335330
accession number
305958

Curve Template

This flat rounded steel shape has was used by Carl Marius Christian Christensen Hostrup (1870-1950), a Danish-born cabinetmaker who came to the United States in 1889, soon settled in Clinton, Iowa, became a U.S. citizen in 1895, and spent the rest of his working life in Clinton.
Description
This flat rounded steel shape has was used by Carl Marius Christian Christensen Hostrup (1870-1950), a Danish-born cabinetmaker who came to the United States in 1889, soon settled in Clinton, Iowa, became a U.S. citizen in 1895, and spent the rest of his working life in Clinton. The shape of the outside curve idiffers from that of irregular curves sold by Keuffel & Esser, Dietzgen, and Queen.
References:
Accession file.
U.S. Census records, Iowa State Census Records, Clinton, Iowa, City Directories.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1900
ID Number
MA.327330
accession number
266152
catalog number
327330

Swiss Pattern Folding Compass and Divider

The ends of this German silver instrument rotate at right angles to the legs. When the pointed ends of both legs are extended, the instrument works as a divider.
Description
The ends of this German silver instrument rotate at right angles to the legs. When the pointed ends of both legs are extended, the instrument works as a divider. The other side of one end has an adjustable pen point, and the other side of the other end has a holder, tightened by a metal ring, for a pencil lead. When one of these ends is extended, the instrument functions as a compass. The legs fold up inside themselves so the compass may be stored in a wooden case covered with black leather and lined with purple velvet. The instrument has no identifying marks. It is similar but not identical to a folding pocket compass sold for $5.00 (without a case) by W. & L. E. Gurley from at least 1903 to 1912.
Englishman David Napier (1790–1876) is credited with inventing the folded compass in 1848. This version improves on the design by putting all of the joints in the same plane and is known as the "Swiss pattern," although makers all over Europe made these instruments.
References: A Manual of the Principal Instruments . . . Manufactured by W. & L. E. Gurley, 37th ed. (Troy, N.Y., 1903), 309–310; A Manual of the Principal Instruments . . . Manufactured by W. & L. E. Gurley, 46th ed. (Troy, N.Y., 1912), 365–366; Maya Hambly, Drawing Instruments: 1580–1980 (London: Sotheby's Publications, 1988), 83–84.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1900
ID Number
MA.335334
accession number
305958
catalog number
335334

Drafting Triangle

This 5-1/2" 20°-70°-90° wooden triangle has a 3/8" round hole at the center for positioning and holding the instrument. Compare to 304826.137, 335331, and 1979.0876.02. A previous user has written the numbers 20, 70, and 90 at the appropriate corners.
Description
This 5-1/2" 20°-70°-90° wooden triangle has a 3/8" round hole at the center for positioning and holding the instrument. Compare to 304826.137, 335331, and 1979.0876.02. A previous user has written the numbers 20, 70, and 90 at the appropriate corners. For other drawing triangles with unusual angle measurements, see 334622 and 1990.0690.01. The Department of Mathematics at Brown University gave this object to the Museum in 1973.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1900
ID Number
MA.304722.09
catalog number
304722.09
accession number
304722

Set of Drawing Instruments

This wooden case is covered with blue cloth and lined with patterned paper, purple satin, and black velvet. A German silver plaque on the lid is not marked. A compartment inside the lid has a black paper label marked in gold: Made in Japan.
Description
This wooden case is covered with blue cloth and lined with patterned paper, purple satin, and black velvet. A German silver plaque on the lid is not marked. A compartment inside the lid has a black paper label marked in gold: Made in Japan. The set includes: three pencil leads; a 1-3/8" ivory cylindrical lead case missing its lid; 4-1/2" German silver and steel fixed-leg dividers; 3-1/8" German silver and steel bow pen, bow pencil, and bow dividers; 2-1/2" German silver and steel crayon attachment and 3-3/8" pointer and pen attachments that do not appear to fit any compass in the set; and two steel drawing pens with ivory handles (4-3/4" and 6").
Ernst F. Eurich (1847–1930), father and grandfather of the donors, owned this set. He was born in Germany. His parents emigrated to the U.S. in 1850, and his mother raised him in New York City after his father died en route. Eurich attended City University of New York and then did graduate work in Freiburg, Saxony, from 1867 to 1869. He later worked as a mining engineer in Tennessee, Wisconsin, Nevada, Pennsylvania, Montana, and Illinois. He had a consulting business in New York City from 1903 to 1918.
Reference: accession file.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1900
ID Number
MA.315411
accession number
219409
catalog number
315411

Keuffel & Esser Flat Case of Drawing Instruments

This wooden case is covered with black leather that has tooling on the lid. The lid is marked: 12. The case has a steel locking pin. Inside the case is lined with green silk and velvet. A label inside the lid is marked: JAMES SMITH, (/) ARCHITECT (/) 20 BATH ROAD.
Description
This wooden case is covered with black leather that has tooling on the lid. The lid is marked: 12. The case has a steel locking pin. Inside the case is lined with green silk and velvet. A label inside the lid is marked: JAMES SMITH, (/) ARCHITECT (/) 20 BATH ROAD. The set includes:
1) 6-1/8" German silver drawing compass with bendable legs and removable pencil point, leg extension, and pen point. Inside of one leg is marked: KEUFFEL & ESSER N.Y. Each piece is marked: 12.
2) 4-1/4" German silver drawing compass with bendable legs and removable pencil point and pen point. Inside of one leg is marked: KEUFFEL & ESSER N.Y. Each piece is marked: 12.
3) 4-3/4" ebony, German silver, and steel drawing pen.
4) 3-3/4" German silver and steel drawing pen. The handle is broken and missing.
5) 1-1/8" cylindrical metal case with four leads. The case is marked: EAGLE PENCIL CO. (/) NEW YORK.
6) 3-1/2" German silver and steel bow dividers, bow pen, and bow pencil.
The case for leads and the broken pen are probably not part of the original set. At least two original instruments are missing. No case exactly like this one or with the catalog number "12" was found in Keuffel & Esser catalogs between 1880 and 1943. Descendants of James Smith donated the set in 1965.
Location
Currently not on view
Currently not on view
date made
late 19th century
maker
Keuffel & Esser Co.
ID Number
MA.326518
accession number
260029
catalog number
326518

Beam Compass by Kern & Co.

Beam compasses were used to draw circles of large radius by positioning the sliding pieces on a wooden lath.
Description
Beam compasses were used to draw circles of large radius by positioning the sliding pieces on a wooden lath. This German silver instrument, also called a draftsman’s trammel, has a smaller sliding piece with a pencil point that may be exchanged for the pen point holder also contained in the case. The smaller sliding piece is engraved with the Kern logo, a K inside a pair of dividers. The larger sliding piece has a needle point. Either end of the needle point may be used.
The larger sliding piece is engraved with a maker’s mark: KERN & Co; AARAUSWISS. No beam, or wooden lath, is included, nor is there room for one in the case. The case is leather over wood, lined with maroon velvet and locked by a button on the side. The top of the case is imprinted with a rectangle that has a fleur-de-lis at each corner. The maker’s mark is stamped in gold: KERN & Co AARAU [/] SWITZERLAND. The owner’s card is inside the case, with “Property [/] of” written in cursive pencil and “L. N. EDWARDS” printed. Carolyn H. Edwards of Glen Echo, Md., bequeathed this beam compass set to the Smithsonian in 1971.
The marks on this compass are similar to those used by Kern between 1885 and 1926. For other instruments manufactured by Kern, see ID numbers MA.247966, 1977.0460.02, 1978.2291.01, and MA.321781.
Reference: Juerg Dedual, "How Old is My Kern & Co. AG Aarau?" Virtual Archive of WILD HEERBRUGG, http://www.wild-heerbrugg.com/how_old_is_my_kern_&_co__ag_aarau_instrument.htm.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1885-1926
maker
Kern & Co.
ID Number
MA.333947
accession number
296611
catalog number
333947

Widdifield & Co. Set of Drawing Instruments

This mahogany case is lined with blue satin and velvet. Its lock is broken. The satin lining folds out to reveal a pocket. There is also a removable mahogany tray. A German silver label on the lid is marked: H. M. Doane.
Description
This mahogany case is lined with blue satin and velvet. Its lock is broken. The satin lining folds out to reveal a pocket. There is also a removable mahogany tray. A German silver label on the lid is marked: H. M. Doane. The set was received in 1975 with the following instruments:
1) 6" ivory rectangular protractor divided to single degrees and numbered by tens in both directions from 10 to 170. The interior has scales for 1/8" 1/4", 3/8", 1/2", 5/8", 3/4", 7/8", and 1 inch to the foot. The interior also has a scale of chords. The bottom edge has a scale of half-inches, divided to 1/20" and numbered by ones from 1 to 22. This side of the protractor is marked: WIDDIFIELD & CO 148 WASHINGTON ST BOSTON. The back of the protractor bears scales dividing the inch into 60, 50, 45, 40, 35, and 30 parts; and a plotting scale with diagonal scales at each end.
2) 6-1/4" clear plastic semicircular protractor divided to half-degrees and numbered by tens from 0 to 180.
3) 5-3/8" German silver and steel fixed-leg dividers.
4) German silver pen, pencil, and pricker leg attachments that are the correct length for the 5-3/8" dividers.
5) 4" German silver and steel dividers with a removable leg and swiveling handle.
6) 3-1/4" steel bow pencil with ivory handle.
7) Two German silver and ivory drawing pens, one 4-7/8" and one 5-3/8" long.
8) Two blue metal joint tighteners.
9) Ten pieces of black rubber imprinted with cream and blue Chinese characters and partial pictures of men, some blowing pipes. It is likely that these pieces originally formed one or two objects.
10) 3/4" round slice of cork.
Pieces of writing and tissue paper are in the bottom of the case. Circles have been drawn on the writing paper, which is marked: D. S. G. Doane (/) Cohasset. Another slip of paper cut out from an advertisement is marked: D. S. G. DOANE. Two empty slots in the case suggest that some of the original instruments in the set are missing.
Daniel Brown Widdifield (1800–1862) made spectacles and optical and mathematical instruments in Boston beginning in 1828. From 1838 through at least 1879, his firm was known as Widdifield & Co. Although the name remained the same, his sons (Daniel B. Jr. and George F.) operated the business by 1860. Around 1869, the firm moved from 146 Washington Street to 34 West Street. If the plastic protractor is original, it suggests a date closer to 1868 than to 1838. It is uncertain how many of the instruments were made in Widdifield's shop and how many were imported from Europe.
David Stoddard Greenough Doane (1827–1895) worked as a mason, station agent, farmer, and well driller in Cohasset, Mass., at various times between 1850 and 1880. He also served as a bank trustee and justice of the peace, sold real estate, and operated a daguerreotype shop. He married Harriet Maria Parker (1828–1873) in 1854.
References: Boston Almanac; Boston Directory; "People: Widdifield and Company," Waywiser, Harvard University Department of the History of Science, http://dssmhi1.fas.harvard.edu/emuseumdev/code/eMuseum.asp?lang=EN; Alfred Alder Doane, ed., The Doane Family (Boston, 1902), 425; 1850–1880 U.S. Census records.
Location
Currently not on view
Currently not on view
date made
1838-1868
maker
Widdifield & Co.
ID Number
MA.335300
accession number
317888
catalog number
335300

Set of Drawing Instruments

This polished wooden case is lined with green satin and velvet and is fastened with two brass hooks.
Description
This polished wooden case is lined with green satin and velvet and is fastened with two brass hooks. It holds ten brass and steel drawing instruments and attachments:
1) A 5-3/4" pair of dividers with a leg that may be removed by loosening two screws.
2) A 5-1/2" pair of dividers with a leg removed by loosening one thumbscrew. The point on the other leg is broken.
3) Two drawing pens (2-5/8" and 1-3/4") with short brass handles.
4) A 2-3/8" pricker.
5) A 4" extension bar that can be inserted into the second pair of dividers.
6) Pen and pencil points that fit the second pair of dividers.
7) A 3-3/4" compass with only one leg and a pen point that fits this compass.
Because they fit snugly in the case and have matching blue screws, both pairs of dividers, the pen and pencil points for the second pair of dividers, the compass and pen point, and the shorter drawing pen are likely original to the set. The Smithsonian acquired this object in 1960. It probably dates to the early 19th century.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
early 19th century
ID Number
MA.317358
accession number
230279
catalog number
317358

J. L. Hammett Co. Open Triangle

This 17-1/4" 45°-45°-90° maple triangle is formed from three pieces of wood and has an open interior. The hypotenuse is marked: J. L. HAMMETT CO. (/) CAMBRIDGE. MASS.
Description
This 17-1/4" 45°-45°-90° maple triangle is formed from three pieces of wood and has an open interior. The hypotenuse is marked: J. L. HAMMETT CO. (/) CAMBRIDGE. MASS. John Hammett began selling erasers and slating paint for chalkboards in Rhode Island in 1863, moving to Boston in 1865. In 1890 new owners expanded the firm into all forms of paper school supplies. J. L. Hammett operated over 50 retail stores from 1974 to 2005. The Department of Mathematics at Brown University gave this object to the Museum in 1973.
References: Bill Lane, "School Supplier J. L. Hammett to Close Stores," Boston Business Journal, January 4, 2005, http://www.bizjournals.com/boston/stories/2005/01/03/daily12.html; "J. L. Hammett Company," The Play and Playground Encyclopedia, http://www.pgpedia.com/j/jl-hammett-company.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
20th century
maker
J. L. Hammett Co.
ID Number
MA.304722.44
catalog number
304722.44
accession number
304722

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