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

Thomas Arithmometer

This stepped drum manual non-printing calculating machine has a brass and steel mechanism that fits neatly in a wooden case. Ten levers are pushed back to enter digits, with a stepped drum below each lever.
Description
This stepped drum manual non-printing calculating machine has a brass and steel mechanism that fits neatly in a wooden case. Ten levers are pushed back to enter digits, with a stepped drum below each lever. The brass plate that covers the drums and top of the machine has slits in it to allow these and other parts to move. The edges of the slits next to digit levers are numbered from 0 to 9 to indicate the digit entered. Another lever, located to the left of these, is either pushed back for addition and multiplication or forward for subtraction and division.
Further to the left is a glass-covered compartment that holds the decimal markers, key, and loose parts to the machine. The operating crank is right of the digit levers. It's ivory handle folds down so that the lid closes.
Behind the levers is a movable carriage with 11 windows for the revolution register and 20 windows for the result register. The black knob for zeroing the revolution register is on the right of the carriage, and a knob for zeroing the result register is on the left. Both the revolution and the result register have thumbscrews for entering numbers and holes for decimal markers between the windows of the registers. The eighteen decimal markers in the compartment have a brass base and ivory top. The case is painted black and the lid is shaped so that it fits in holes in the sides of the case that allow for motion of the zeroing mechanisms in the carriage.
A mark at the center of the machine reads: THOMAS de COLMAR (/) A PARIS (/) INVENTEUR (/) No. 1068. A mark next to the lever near the center reads: ADDON ET MULTON (/) SOUSTON ET DIVISON. The lid of the machine is marked: Arithmomètre.
Thomas Egleston of Columbia University’s School of Mines was a judge in Group 1 (Mining, Quarrying and Metallurgy) at the 1873 exposition held Vienna. The firm of Thomas exhibited at this exposition, and it is possible that Egleston arranged to purchase this machine at that time.
An instruction book received with the instrument and stored separately is dated 1868.
Compare MA.328869.
References:
P. A. Kidwell, “Scientists and Calculating Machines,” Annals of the History of Computing, 12, 1990, pp. 31–40.
Robert H. Thustron, Reports of the Commisioners of the United States to the International Exhibition Held at Vienna, 1873, Washington: GPO, 1876, vol. 1, p. 118.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1873
maker
Thomas, Charles Xavier
ID Number
MA.335215
catalog number
335215
accession number
318961
maker number
1068

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, Baldwin went on to invent other calculating machines, most notably those manufactured by the Monroe Calculating Machine Company.
This non-printing machine has eight rings at the front that may be rotated forward to release pins and enter numbers. The zeroing bar for the rings is at the front and the 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 a second row of nine windows for the revolution register behind this. Both of these registers have zeroing cranks and thin metal rods below them that move to serve as decimal markers. Lifting a metal hook on the left allows one to shift the carriage. The entire machine sits in a wooden case with lid with handle.
A mark scratched on the front of the machine reads: 150. The museum number assigned by the Museum of the Peaceful Arts is: 27-94. A metal tag on the lid of the machine reads: BALDWIN (/) CALCULATOR (/) 150 (/) PAT. AUG. 5. 1902. Another metal tag in the same place reads: THE SPECTATOR CO (/) AGENTS (/) 95 WILLIAM ST. (/) NEW YORK.
This example is from the collection of L. Leland Locke and was once in on deposit at the Museums of the Peaceful Arts in New York City.
The Spectator Company of New York sold Baldwin’s calculator from at least 1903 through at least 1907. Their advertisements boasted of the reliability of the machine and its American manufacture. It cost $250.
Compare MA.307384.
References:
Frank S. Baldwin, “Calculating-Machine,” U.S. Patent 706375, August 5, 1902.
Advertisement, The Spectator, vol. 76 #3 (Feb 1, 1904), p. 66.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1905
distributor
The Spectator Company
maker
Baldwin, Frank S.
ID Number
MA.311954
catalog number
311954
accession number
155183

Instructions pour se Servir de l'Arithmomètre

This pamphlet gives instructions for operating the Thomas arithmometer.For a related object, see MA.335215.Currently not on view
Description
This pamphlet gives instructions for operating the Thomas arithmometer.
For a related object, see MA.335215.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1868
maker
Thomas, Charles Xavier
ID Number
MA.318961.02
accession number
1975318961
catalog number
318961.02

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

Marchant Calculating Machine, Experimental

In the 1950s several manufacturers of full-keyboard adding and calculating machines began to experiment with building machines that had only ten digit keys, carried out all four arithmetic operations, and printed the results.
Description
In the 1950s several manufacturers of full-keyboard adding and calculating machines began to experiment with building machines that had only ten digit keys, carried out all four arithmetic operations, and printed the results. This is an experimental ten-key printing electric calculating machine made by Marchant.
The model has three rows of discs above the keyboard. The first row has nine wheels that show the number entered (only two of these wheels show numbers at present) on a ten-key keyboard. The second row has the 18 wheels for a result register, and the uppermost row has the ten wheels of a revolution counter. There are holes below the registers for decimal markers. The first row of discs shifts as numbers are entered.
The machine has a metal case painted two shades of green and keys in two other shades of green. Right of the number keys are negative multiplication, multiplication, shift, and clear keys. To the left are subtraction, repeat, and addition bars, and dividend, divide, and stop keys. Further to the left is a place for a paper tape, as well as LIST, CALC, subtotal, and total keys. Eleven discs print results. The plastic cover is black.
The front, back and cover have marks that read: MARCHANT. The digit keys read: 7 8 9 (/) 4 5 6 (/) 1 2 3 (/) 0.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1958
maker
Marchant Calculating Machine Company
ID Number
MA.335374
catalog number
335374
accession number
318944

Bunzel Calculating Machine

This stepped drum, manually operated non-printing calculating machine has a brass and steel mechanism that fits snugly in a wooden case. Each of the seven levers for setting digits has a stepped drum below it. The brass plate that covers the drums is painted black.
Description
This stepped drum, manually operated non-printing calculating machine has a brass and steel mechanism that fits snugly in a wooden case. Each of the seven levers for setting digits has a stepped drum below it. The brass plate that covers the drums is painted black. Slits in the plate allow the levers and other parts to move. The edges of the slits next to digit levers are numbered from 0 to 9 to indicate the number entered. An ADD. MULT. / SUB. DIV. lever is left of the digit levers. A compartment covered by a slate is left of this. The operating crank is right of the levers.
The carriage behind the levers has seven windows for the revolution counter register, and 12 windows for the result register. It can be placed at seven different positions. A mark on the cover plate assists in positioning the carriage. Holes for decimal markers are between the levers and between the holes of the registers, as well as sliding decimal markers for the result register. Thumbscrews allow one to set numbers in the registers. Zeroing levers for these registers on the right of the carriage may be operated jointly or individually. The case has two legs that may be used to set it at an angle, as well as a lock and key.
A mark to the left of the levers reads: BUNZEL (/) TRADE DELTON MARK. Left of this is the mark: FACTORY VIENNA. The serial number, on the edge of the case at the back, is 5310.
Hugo Bunzel, a calligraphy teacher and former painter in Prague, designed the machine, which was introduced in 1908 and produced through 1915. It was manufactured in Vienna. This example is from the collection 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. 198–199.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1910
maker
Bunzel-Delton-Werk Fabrik...
ID Number
MA.323585
catalog number
323585
accession number
250163
maker number
5310

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

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 this calculating machine, 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 20 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 18 positions on the cylinder with a locking pin. This collar supports 18 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 20 recording wheels on it, each provided with 30 teeth. The digits from 0 to 9 are stamped three times around each wheel. The spring claws fit the gears of the recording wheels. If a claw is pushed down, it engages the gear of the recording wheel, causing it to rotate. Studs on the wheel lead to carrying by engaging the next claw over.
This model has no mechanism for displaying the multiplier or multiplicand. 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.
For a related, later U S. patent model, see MA.311940.
The judges at the Centennial Exhibition gave Grant an award for his invention, and described his machine as “superior to all other instruments of its class yet produced.” It was lauded by actuaries and distinguished professors, but never gained large sales. This version of the machine sold for $100.
References:
George B. Grant, “Improvement in Calculating Machines,” U.S. Patent 138245 (April 29, 1873).
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
1876
maker
Grant, George B.
ID Number
MA.310645
catalog number
310645
accession number
118852

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

Leaflet, The Millionaire Calculating Machine

This leaflet describing and illustrating a manually operated Millionaire calculating machine was received with Millionaire calculating machine 333940. It was distributed by W. A.
Description
This leaflet describing and illustrating a manually operated Millionaire calculating machine was received with Millionaire calculating machine 333940. It was distributed by W. A. Morschhauser of New York, New York, the sole North American agent for the machne.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1909
ID Number
MA.319929.04
accession number
319929
catalog number
319929.04

Barbour Calculating Machine Model

In the late 19th century, several inventors turned their attention to designing better machines for doing arithmetic. This model calculating machine, patented by Edmund D.
Description
In the late 19th century, several inventors turned their attention to designing better machines for doing arithmetic. This model calculating machine, patented by Edmund D. Barbour of Boston, was intended to multiply a number by a digit directly, rather than requiring repeated addition. Barbour submitted the model to the U.S. Patent Office, and received a patent for the invention on August 13, 1872.
This machine consists of eight wooden cylinders that rotate on a crosswise shaft inside a wooden box. Each cylinder has around its edge 90 rows of cog-teeth. Each set of nine cog-teeth represents the multiples of a digit (zero multiples correspond to blank spaces). These cog-teeth have not actually been constructed. They are shown as pen marks on a slip of paper that extends around the first cylinder.
The machine is set to a given multiplier by rotating all the cylinders with a knob at one end of the machine. This knob is missing. The first cylinder has on its left side a wooden spur gear with 90 teeth The other cylinders would have such gears, but they are uncut. Pulling out a wooden toothed rack below the gear advances it one-ninetieth of a revolution for each unit on the rack. Hence one can set a multiplicand.
A movable carriage of brass on the top of the machine is supposed to be linked to the cylinders, so that when the carriage is pulled one unit to the right, the recording wheels advance in proportion to the figure represented on the edge of the cylinders. At present, the cylinders are not linked to the sliding carriage. Ther object has no maker’s marks. No successful product emerged directly from Barbour’s patents.
Compare MA.309172, MA.309173, and MA.318168.
The Edmund D. Barbour who took out this patent was probably Edmund Dana Barbour (1841–1925), a Boston native who reportedly gained a fortune in the China trade, before returning to Boston in 1871, not long before taking out this patent. Barbour went on to take out two further patents for calculating machines, to invest successfully in the Bell Telephone Company, to carry out extensive genealogical research, and to leave most of his fortune in bequests to Harvard University, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Radcliffe College.
References:
Edmund Barbour, "Improvement in Calculating-Machines," U.S. Patent 130404, August 13, 1872.
J. A. V. Turck, Origin of Modern Calculating Machines, Chicago: Western Society of Engineers, 1921, pp. 180–187.
“Sharon’s Rich Men,” Boston Daily Globe, February 20, 1888, p. 6.
“Fund for Three Local Colleges: Edmund D Barbour’s Will Gives Each $20,000 a Year,” Boston Daily Globe, March 13, 1925.
J. Gardner Bartlett, “Edmund Dana Barbour,” The New England Historical and Genealogical Register , vol. 79, October 1925, pp. 339–344.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1872
patentee
Barbour, Edmund D.
maker
Barbour, Edmund D.
ID Number
MA.309172
accession number
89797
catalog number
309172

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

Millionaire Calculating Machine

In the early 20th century, William A. Morschhauser of New York City became the exclusive American distributor of the Millionaire calculating machine. He placed machines at several United States government offices, including the Post Office Department.
Description
In the early 20th century, William A. Morschhauser of New York City became the exclusive American distributor of the Millionaire calculating machine. He placed machines at several United States government offices, including the Post Office Department. This is one example of these machines.
The lever-set, manual, non-printing, direct multiplication calculating machine has a brass mechanism and a metal case with lid. The lid and the flat plates that cover the mechanism are painted black. The carriage is entirely contained within the case. The ten German silver levers are pulled forward to enter numbers. To the left of these is a crank, which may be set anywhere between 0 and 9 for direct multiplication and division (this crank moves when the knob is pulled up). To the right of the digit levers is a lever that may be set at addition, multiplication, division, of subtraction. Right of it is the operating crank. In front of the levers is a row of ten windows that indicates the number set on the levers. This row of windows is labeled DIVISOR.
In front of this is the carriage, with two other rows of windows. The row closest to the levers (further from the front) indicates the multiplier or quotient, and the other row, the result or the dividend. The result windows are labeled “DIVIDEND” and may be set with a dividend using thumbscrews.
Zeroing knobs for both these registers are on the carriage. Holes for decimal markers are between digits on all three registers, along with a total of one surviving decimal marker. Between the front two registers, at the left, is a button used to shift the carriage. A paper sheet inside the lid gives instructions for operating the machine and related tables. The brush for cleaning the machine does not survive.
A mark on the top of the machine at the front reads: THE MILLIONAIRE. A metal tag to the right of this reads: Hans W. Egli (/) Ingenieur (/) Fabrikation von Rechenmaschinen (/) Pat. O. Steiger (/)ZURICH II. A metal tag on the left reads: W.A. Morschhauser (/) SOLE AGENT (/) 1 Madison Avenue (/) NEW YORK CITY. The serial number, stamped under the tag on the right front, is: No 832.
Compare MA.312818 and MA.312819.
Precise dating of Millionaire calculating machines is uncertain. Daniel Lewin has estimated that machines with serial number 500 date from 1900; those with serial number 1600, from 1905; and those with serial number 2800, from 1910. If this is accurate, machines with serial number in the 800s would date from well before 1905. The Spectator Company, a New York publisher of books on insurance and a distributor of calculating machines, advertised the Millionaire in 1903. Morschhauser is described as the distributor from at least 1905 onward, hence a rough date of 1904 for this machine.
References:
Daniel Lewin, "Die Entwicklungsgeschichte der Rechenmaschinen der Firma H.W. Egli bis 1931" Typenkorb, Nr. 48 und 49, 1992.
The Insurance Year Book 1903–1904, New York: The Spectator Company, 1903, p. 28.
E. H. Beach, ed., Tools of Business: An Encyclopaedia of Office Equipment and Labor Saving Devices, Detroit: The Book-Keeper Publishing Co, 1905, pp. 14–15.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1904
maker
Egli, Hans W.
ID Number
MA.312819
catalog number
312819
maker number
00832
accession number
167157

Millionaire Calculating Machine

This lever-set, manually operated non-printing rack and pinion calculating machine has a brass mechanism and a metal case with lid. The top of the machine and the lid are painted black.
Description
This lever-set, manually operated non-printing rack and pinion calculating machine has a brass mechanism and a metal case with lid. The top of the machine and the lid are painted black. The carriage is entirely contained within the case.
Eight German silver levers are pulled forward to set up digits. To the left of these is a crank, which may be set anywhere between 0 and 9 for direct multiplication by a single digit. To the right of the digit levers is a lever which may be set at addition, multiplication, division, or subtraction. Right of it is the operating crank. In front of the levers is a row of 8 windows that indicate the number set up by the levers. This row of windows is labeled: DIVISOR.
In front of these windows is the carriage, with two other rows of windows. The row closest to the levers (further from the front) indicates the multiplier or quotient; the other row shows the result. The second register also has thumbscrews that may be used to set a dividend. It is labeled “DIVIDEND.” Both these registers have zeroing knobs. Holes for decimal markers are between digits in all three registers, but this machine has no decimal markers. Between the front two registers, at the left, is a button used to shift the carriage. A bell rings when the carriage reaches its leftmost position, when the result changes sign (as in overdivision); and when the result exceeds the capacity of the machine.
Instructions for operating the machine, and related tables, are given in a paper sheet on the inside of the lid.
A mark in the middle of the front of the machine reads: THE MILLIONAIRE. A metal tag to the right reads: Hans W. Egli (/) Ingenieur (/) Fabrikation von Rechenmaschinen (/) Pat. O. Steiger (/)ZURICH II. A metal tag to the left indicates the name and address of the U.S. agent for the machine: W.A. Morschhauser (/) SOLE AGENT (/) 1 Madison Avenue (/) NEW YORK CITY. Below this tag is the serial number: No 2432.
Daniel Lewin has estimated that Millionaire calculating machines with serial number 500 date from 1900; those with serial number 1600, from 1905; and those with serial number 2800, from 1910. A machine with serial number 2432 might reasonably date from about 1909.
Reference:
Daniel Lewin, "Die Entwicklungsgeschichte der Rechenmaschinen der Firma H.W. Egli bis 1931" Typenkorb, Nr. 48 and 49, 1992.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1909
maker
Egli, Hans W.
ID Number
MA.323594
catalog number
323594
maker number
02432
accession number
250163

Friden Model ST 10 Calculating Machine

Friden Calculating Machine Company produced its “Supermatic Tabulating” model from about 1940 through 1949.
Description
Friden Calculating Machine Company produced its “Supermatic Tabulating” model from about 1940 through 1949. This full-keyboard, non-printing electric stepped drum calculating machine has a metal frame painted gray and ten columns of light green and blue-green plastic number keys. A blank green plastic zeroing key is at the bottom of each column. Metal rods between the columns of keys turn to indicate decimal places. On the right are two columns of function keys.
On the left is a ten-digit register that indicates numbers entered for multiplication. Below it is a block of nine light green digit keys, with a 0 bar below. These are surrounded by four function keys.
Behind the number keys is a movable carriage with an 11-digit revolution register and a 21-digit result register. The result register has dark green plastic buttons above it that rotate to set up numbers. Ten numbered buttons are under the revolution register, spaced between the digits. Zeroing knobs for these registers are on the top right of the carriage. Decimal markers slide on bars between the two registers on the carriage.
A mark on the sides and back of the machine reads: FRIDEN. A paper tag on the bottom of the machine, which also includes address and patent numbers, reads: MODEL-ST. A window at the front of the bottom shows the serial number: ST10-157950.
The machine has a rubber-covered cord
The date was given by the donor, who said that the initial price was $550.
Compare 1984.3079.01, 1984.3079.02, 1984.3079.03, and MA.335427.
References:
Accession File.
Date also given in Ernie Jorgenson, Friden Age List, Office Machine Americana, p. 2.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1945
maker
Friden Calculating Machine Company
ID Number
MA.335421
catalog number
335421
accession number
319049
maker number
ST 10 157950

SCM Marchant Adding Machine Experimental Model

This is a model for a ten-key printing electric adding machine, most probably made at or for SCM Marchant. It has a metal mechanism (there is no case), nine gray round plastic digit keys arranged in a block, and darker gray 0 and total keys.
Description
This is a model for a ten-key printing electric adding machine, most probably made at or for SCM Marchant. It has a metal mechanism (there is no case), nine gray round plastic digit keys arranged in a block, and darker gray 0 and total keys. There are seven additional key stems as well as three double key stems for bars. None of these have covers. Behind the number keys is an 11.5 cm. carriage for the paper tape, as well as a 2-colored ribbon. At the back left is an electric motor that would fit in the case, were there a case.
The number keys are marked: 7 8 9 (/) 4 5 6 (/) 1 2 3 (/) 0.
There is a black plastic cover.
This machine has some similarity to the adding machine sold by Marchant around 1959, in the shape of the keys and placement of the function keys and print mechanism. However, it is considerably wider.
Reference:
SCM Collection (1979.3084.128).
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1959
maker
Marchant Calculating Machine Company
ID Number
MA.335375
catalog number
335375
accession number
318944

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

Monroe Model CSA8 Calculating Machine

This is a very late example of a product of the Monroe Calculating Machine Company of New Jersey, made when the firm was still an independent company.The compact non-printing, full keyboard, electric modified stepped drum calculating machine has a gray steel case and eight column
Description
This is a very late example of a product of the Monroe Calculating Machine Company of New Jersey, made when the firm was still an independent company.
The compact non-printing, full keyboard, electric modified stepped drum calculating machine has a gray steel case and eight columns of gray and light gray oblong plastic color-coded number keys, with a zeroing key of the same color at the bottom of each column. Between the columns of keys, and under the light gray plate, are metal rods (visible through windows in the plate) that serve as decimal markers. These are painted red on one side and the same light gray as the plate on the other. To the right of and below the number keys are a variety of function keys, including addition and subtraction bars, keys for moving the carriage, an enter key, a repeat and a non-repeat button, and diverse other keys for division and multiplication.
Behind the keyboard is a carriage with a row of eight dials to show a number set up for multiplication, a row of 16 dials to show the result, and a row of eight revolution register dials. These are visible through windows in the carriage. The set up dials for multiplication have a metal frame that slides over them to indicate the position of the decimal point and two digits to the right of the decimal point. It can be placed in seven different positions. A gray plastic knob is at the back on the right side.
A mark on the front and back of the machine reads: MONROE. On the back, it is a trademark registered by Monroe in 1956. A mark on the right and left sides reads: MONROmatic. A paper tag glued to the bottom of the machine reads: MONROE (/) CALCULATING MACHINE (/) COMPANY, INC. (/) ORANGE, N.J. U.S.A.; It also has several patent numbers, the largest of which is 2,931,569, the number of a 1955 patent. A metal tag attached to the bottom reads: MODEL CSA 8 (/) SERIAL B930371. In 1958 Monroe became a subsidy of Litton Industries. Many Monroe calculating machines with serial numbers beginning in B date from the 1960s.
Reference:
Documentation received with the machine, with museum numbers MA.318943.02 through MA.318943.06. This includes an invoice, indicating that it was repaired in 1970.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1957
maker
Monroe International Corporation, a Division of Litton Business Systems
Monroe Calculating Machine Company
ID Number
MA.335384
catalog number
335384
maker number
B930371
accession number
318943

Grant Improved Calculating Machine Model

This is the U.S. Patent Office model for a lever-set non-printing barrel-type calculating machine patented by George B. Grant of Maplewood, Massachusetts on August 16, 1887. It represents an improvement on machines Grant had patented July 16,1872 (U.S.
Description
This is the U.S. Patent Office model for a lever-set non-printing barrel-type calculating machine patented by George B. Grant of Maplewood, Massachusetts on August 16, 1887. It represents an improvement on machines Grant had patented July 16,1872 (U.S. Patent 129,335) and April 29, 1873 (U.S. Patent 138245), and on the machine he exhibited at the Centennial Exhibition in Philadelphia in 1876.
The model has a rectangular wooden base. The frame is made up of two plates at either end of the base connected by metal shafts. The mechanism has a large upper cylinder and a small lower cylinder linked by gears of equal size. Fifteen centimeters (6”) of the upper cylinder has a metal collar that can be set at any of eight positions on the cylinder. This collar supports eight movable rings, each of which represents a digit entered. Each ring has an adding pin and a stud on it that may be set at any of 10 positions, labeled by the digits from 0 to 9.
The lower cylinder has ten recording wheels on it, each provided with 30 teeth. Paper loops numbered from 0 to 9 three times run around each wheel. On a bar between the cylinders is a row of ten spring claws, one for each recording wheel. If a claw is pushed down, it engages the gear of the recording wheel, causing it to rotate. Studs on the wheel lead to carrying by engaging the next claw over.
The model has no mechanism for displaying the multiplier or multiplicand.
This object was collected by L. Leland Locke and displayed at the Museums of the Peaceful Arts in New York City before coming to the Smithsonian.
George B. Grant (1849–1917) was born in Maine, studied for three terms at the Chandler Scientific School of Dartmouth College, and entered the Lawrence Scientific School of Harvard University in 1869, graduating in 1873. As an undergraduate, he became interested in computing devices, publishing an article on a new form of difference engine in 1871. During this time, he also took out two patents for calculating machines. Grant’s study of computing devices also led him to take a great interest in improved gears. He formed a total of five gear works in various American cities, and wrote treatises on the subject.
For a related object, see MA.310645.
According to L. Leland Locke, the models for Grant’s first two calculating machine patents were not preserved.
References:
George B. Grant, “Improvement in Calculating Machines,” U.S. Patent 138245 (April 29, 1873).
George B. Grant, “On a New Difference Engine,” American Journal of Science, ser. 3, vol. 2 (August 1871), pp. 113–117.
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.
George B. Grant, “Calculating-Machine,” U. S. Patent 368528 (August 16, 1887).
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1887
inventor
Grant, George B.
maker
Grant, George B.
ID Number
MA.311940
catalog number
311940
accession number
155183

Marchant Model 10M Calculating Machine

This full-keyboard, non-printing electric proportional gear calculating machine has a metal case painted black and ten columns of tan and white plastic keys. A maroon clearance key is at the bottom of each column. The underlying keyboard is painted gold.
Description
This full-keyboard, non-printing electric proportional gear calculating machine has a metal case painted black and ten columns of tan and white plastic keys. A maroon clearance key is at the bottom of each column. The underlying keyboard is painted gold. Between banks of keys are metal rods for decimal markers.
Right of the number keys are auto divide and stop keys, subtraction and addition bars, shift keys for use in multiplication, and a reverse key. In front of these are clearance keys for the dials. Right of these is a column of ten keys for automatic multiplication and two carriage shift keys. Left of the number keys is an on-off switch. Above the number keys is a row of ten windows to show a number set up (the decimal markers extend from between the number keys to between these windows).
Behind this register is a movable carriage with an 20-window result register and an 11-window revolution register. Numbers are represented by the rotation of sets of gears on three shafts under the carriage. Sliding decimal markers for the registers on the carriage are provided. Pushing down a lever on the right side of the carriage allows manual movement of it. The motor is at the back of the machine, inside the case. The machine has four rubber feet.
Marks on the right and left sides and on the back read: MARCHANT. A mark on the bottom reads: 10-M-104367. A torn paper label on the bottom reads: silent (/) speed.
The 10M sold from 1935 into the 1940s. In 1939, the GSA price was $552.50, and the regular price was $600 to $650. A service contract was $25/yr at GSA rates. The earliest model 10Ms had serial numbers in the 104,000s.
References:
Harold T. Avery, U.S. Patents, 1940, 2,216,659, 2,211,736, and 2,217,195.
Also see American Office Machines Research Service, vol. 3, 1938, section 4.3, p. 14–16, as well as section 4.13 under “Marchant.”
SCM Collection, 1984.3084.88.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1935
maker
Marchant Calculating Machine Company
ID Number
MA.335377
catalog number
335377
accession number
318944
maker number
10-M-104367

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

Millionaire Calculating Machine with Stand

In 1895, Otto Steiger, a Swiss citizen residing in Munich, obtained a U.S. patent for a calculating machine that would multiply a number by a single digit directly, with only a single turn of a crank. Earlier calculating machines required considerably more effort.
Description
In 1895, Otto Steiger, a Swiss citizen residing in Munich, obtained a U.S. patent for a calculating machine that would multiply a number by a single digit directly, with only a single turn of a crank. Earlier calculating machines required considerably more effort. Steiger’s machine was produced in Zurich by the firm of Hans W. Egli and came to be used in American government offices and businesses.
This lever-set, manually operated non-printing direct multiplication machine has a brass mechanism and a metal case with lid. The lid and the flat plates that cover the mechanism are painted black. The carriage is entirely contained within the case. Eight German silver levers are pulled forward to enter numbers. To the left of these is a crank which may be set anywhere between 0 and 9 for direct multiplication and division. To the right of the digit levers is a lever which may be set at addition, multiplication, division, or subtraction. Right of it is the operating crank.
In front of the levers is a row of eight windows that indicate the number set on the levers. This row of windows is labeled: DIVISOR. In front of this is the carriage, with two other rows of windows. The row closest to the levers (further from the front) indicates the multiplier or quotient, and the other row, the result or the dividend. The result windows are labeled: DIVIDEND. They may be set with a dividend using thumbscrews. Zeroing knobs for both these registers are on the carriage. Between the digit windows for all three registers are holes for decimal markers. A total of two decimal markers survive. Between the front two registers, at the left, is a button used to shift the carriage.
Instructions for operating the machine, and related tables, are given in English on a paper sheet on the inside of the lid. The lid also holds a brush for cleaning the machine and a safety screw. A bell rings when the sign of the result changes (as in over division). The entire machine rests on stand 1986.3114.02.
A mark in the middle front of the top of the machine reads: THE MILLIONAIRE. A metal tag on the right reads: Hans W. Egli (/) Ingenieur (/) Fabrikation von Rechenmaschinen (/) Pat. O. Steiger (/) ZURICH II.. A metal tag on the left reads: W.A. Morschhauser (/) SOLE AGENT (/) 1 Madison Avenue (/) NEW YORK CITY. The serial number, stamped under the tag on the right, reads: No 1132. A mark right of this reads: MADE IN SWITZERLAND.
This machine was part of the office furniture of the now-defunct Calumet and Hecla Copper Company in Calumet, Michigan. That firm was in business from the later 1860s to the 1940s.
Precise dating of Millionaire calculating machines is uncertain. Daniel Lewin has estimated that machines with serial number 500 date from 1900, those with serial number 1600 from 1905, and those with serial number 2800 from 1910. If this is accurate, machines with serial number in the 1100s would date from before 1905. The Spectator Company, a New York publisher of books on insurance and distributor of calculating machines advertised the Millionaire in 1903. Morschhauser is described as the distributor from at least 1905 onward, hence a rough date of 1904 for this machine.
Compare MA.311943, MA.312818 and MA.312819.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1906
maker
Egli, Hans W.
ID Number
1986.3114.01
catalog number
1986.3114.01
nonaccession number
1986.3114
maker number
01132

Calculating Machine Components

These objects were collected by Brooklyn high school teacher and historian of mathematics L. Leland Locke. They include a bell, two springs, two gears, and one metal piece with two springs.Currently not on view
Description
These objects were collected by Brooklyn high school teacher and historian of mathematics L. Leland Locke. They include a bell, two springs, two gears, and one metal piece with two springs.
Location
Currently not on view
ID Number
1983.3003.039
nonaccession number
1983.3003
catalog number
1983.3003.039

Calculating Machine Components

These objects were collected by Brooklyn high school teacher and historian of mathematics L. Leland Locke. They include seven shaped metal pieces, one screw, and one spring.Currently not on view
Description
These objects were collected by Brooklyn high school teacher and historian of mathematics L. Leland Locke. They include seven shaped metal pieces, one screw, and one spring.
Location
Currently not on view
ID Number
1983.3003.046
nonaccession number
1983.3003
catalog number
1983.3003.046

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