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

Leads and Needle Points in Case

This 1-3/4" cylindrical metal case holds three pencil leads and three needle points for dividers. Leads and needle points were needed for drawing compasses and mechanical pencils used in engineering drawing; one often found a case like this in a set of drafting instruments.
Description
This 1-3/4" cylindrical metal case holds three pencil leads and three needle points for dividers. Leads and needle points were needed for drawing compasses and mechanical pencils used in engineering drawing; one often found a case like this in a set of drafting instruments. William J. Ellenberger (1908–2008) owned these objects. For his biography, see 1981.0933.25.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1940
ID Number
1981.0933.26
accession number
1981.0933
catalog number
1981.0933.26

Dietzgen 932S Excello Dotting Instrument

This 2-1/4" German silver and steel metal drawing instrument consists of a teardrop-shaped plate to which is attached a mechanism that is supposed to hold a larger serrated wheel and a smaller pattern wheel. The mechanism links the wheels to a bar that holds a pen point.
Description
This 2-1/4" German silver and steel metal drawing instrument consists of a teardrop-shaped plate to which is attached a mechanism that is supposed to hold a larger serrated wheel and a smaller pattern wheel. The mechanism links the wheels to a bar that holds a pen point. When the larger wheel is rolled along the edge of a T-square or straight edge, the pen point bounces up and down to make a dotted line that formed part of an engineering drawing.
The larger wheel (5/8" diameter) is marked with one of the trademarks for the Eugene Dietzgen Co., the superimposed letters E and D inside a circle formed by the letters C and o. The six smaller wheels (9/16" diameter) also have this trademark and are numbered from 1 to 6, representing six possible dotting patterns. All the wheels are made of brass. The instrument also has the trademark and is marked: EXCELLO. The arm holding the pen point is marked: DIETZGEN (/) GERMANY. The instrument is in a rectangular wooden bar-lock case covered with black leather and lined with green velvet. The top of the case is marked: DIETZGEN (/) “EXCELLO”. The top is also marked: GERMANY.
This dotting instrument was advertised as model 932S in the 1926 Dietzgen catalog and sold for $5.15. It was part of the Excello product line, Dietzgen's second-highest level of drawing instruments. This object was used in the physics department at Kenyon College. Compare to 1987.0788.02.
Reference: Catalog of Eugene Dietzgen Co., 12th ed. (Chicago, 1926), 57–59, 84.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1926
distributor
Eugene Dietzgen Company
ID Number
1982.0147.01
accession number
1982.0147
catalog number
1982.0147.01

Post 3000 Pencil Pointer

This pencil sharpener consists of a flat wooden handle glued to a rectangular pad of sandpaper. The end of the handle has a hole for hanging. The back of the handle has a yellow label marked in black: POST'S (/) CHICAGO (/) No. 3000 (/) PENCIL POINTERS. The Frederick W. Post Co.
Description
This pencil sharpener consists of a flat wooden handle glued to a rectangular pad of sandpaper. The end of the handle has a hole for hanging. The back of the handle has a yellow label marked in black: POST'S (/) CHICAGO (/) No. 3000 (/) PENCIL POINTERS. The Frederick W. Post Co. sold this model of pencil pointer with 12 sheets of flint paper for 9¢ in the 1930s. By 1949, the flint paper was replaced with sandpaper.
William J. Ellenberger (1908–2008), who owned this object, studied electrical and mechanical engineering at The George Washington University between 1925 and 1934. He then worked for the Potomac Electric Power Company and the National Bureau of Standards. During World War II, he served in the U.S. Army Signal Corps. He was a civilian construction management engineer for the army from 1954 to 1968, when he became a private consultant.
References: Posts Catalog of Dependable Drawing Materials, 18th ed. (Chicago, 1936), 295; Frederick W. Post Co., Drafting Materials for Engineering, Architecture, and Art, 19th ed. (Chicago, 1949–1950), 96; "The GW Engineering Hall of Fame 2006 Inductees," http://www.weas.gwu.edu/ifaf/hall_of_fame_inductees_2006.php.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1940
maker
Frederick Post Co.
ID Number
1981.0933.16
accession number
1981.0933
catalog number
1981.0933.16

Drafting Triangle

This 7-1/2" 30°-60°-90° triangle has a beveled hypotenuse and a 9/16" round hole at the center for positioning and holding the instrument. Compare to 304826.137 and 335331. See also 1983.0238.01 and 1979.0876.01.
Description
This 7-1/2" 30°-60°-90° triangle has a beveled hypotenuse and a 9/16" round hole at the center for positioning and holding the instrument. Compare to 304826.137 and 335331. See also 1983.0238.01 and 1979.0876.01. The triangle was found in the Physical Sciences collections in 1979 with objects that suggest an association with Cleveland Abbe (1838–1916), an American engineer, astronomer, and meteorologist who worked for the U.S. Weather Service from 1871 until shortly before his death.
Reference: accession file.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
late 19th century
ID Number
1979.0876.02
catalog number
1979.0876.02
accession number
1979.0876

Irregular Curve or French Curve

This is one of eight flat wooden irregular curves contained in a box with museum number 1979.0992.01. It is stamped at the base: 4.Currently not on view
Description
This is one of eight flat wooden irregular curves contained in a box with museum number 1979.0992.01. It is stamped at the base: 4.
Location
Currently not on view
ID Number
1979.0992.07
accession number
1979.0992
catalog number
1979.0992.07

Keuffel & Esser Triangle for Roof Pitches

This 4" 45°-45°-90° triangle is made of hard black rubber. One edge is marked: KEUFFEL & ESSER (/) N.Y.; TRADE MARK (below the K&E eagle logo). The hypotenuse is marked: 1/2 PITCH.
Description
This 4" 45°-45°-90° triangle is made of hard black rubber. One edge is marked: KEUFFEL & ESSER (/) N.Y.; TRADE MARK (below the K&E eagle logo). The hypotenuse is marked: 1/2 PITCH. At least as early as 1880, K&E sold this object as part of a set of six hard rubber triangles with various angle sizes. The triangles were used for depicting roof pitches in architectural drawings. In 1890 and 1892 the set sold for $3.00 as model number 1805. By 1906 the set was made of transparent xylonite (plastic).
The triangle was found in the NMAH Physical Sciences collections in 1979 with objects that suggest an association with Cleveland Abbe (1838–1916), an American engineer, astronomer, and meteorologist who worked for the U.S. Weather Service from 1871 until shortly before his death.
References: Catalogue of Keuffel & Esser Co., 13th ed. (New York, 1880), 131; Catalogue of Keuffel & Esser Co., 21st ed. (New York, 1890), 135; Catalogue of Keuffel & Esser Co., 23rd ed. (New York, 1892), 135; Catalogue of Keuffel & Esser Co., 32nd ed. (New York, 1906), 223; accession file.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1880-1906
maker
Keuffel & Esser Co.
ID Number
1979.0876.03
catalog number
1979.0876.03
accession number
1979.0876

Arcascope Triangle and Combination Instrument

This 8" transparent plastic instrument consists of a 30°-60°-90° triangle with an 8" scale along the long leg, divided to 1/8" for four inches and to 1/16" for four inches; a 10 cm scale along the short leg, divided to millimeters; and a protractor cut out from the interior, divi
Description
This 8" transparent plastic instrument consists of a 30°-60°-90° triangle with an 8" scale along the long leg, divided to 1/8" for four inches and to 1/16" for four inches; a 10 cm scale along the short leg, divided to millimeters; and a protractor cut out from the interior, divided to single degrees and marked by tens in both directions from 10 to 180. Between the protractor and centimeter scale are two sets of angled lines, each between two X's and the letters A and B. These lines are used in conjunction with two unevenly divided scales on the hypotenuse of the triangle to determine the angle of an arc and the length of the diameter from the arc of a circle. The first scale is numbered by ones from 6 to 90; the second is numbered by ones from 10 to 60 and then by twos from 60 to 100.
The device is marked: THE ARCASCOPE (/) PATENTED MAY 2, 1916 (/) OTHER PATENTS PENDING (/) COPYRIGHT 1917 (/) L. J. LEISHMAN CO. (/) OGDEN, UTAH. It was donated to the Museum by the Department of Physics at Kenyon College in 1982.
LeRoy James Leishman (1896–1974) was still in high school when he invented this instrument and formed a company to produce and distribute it. He registered a copyright for the name "Arcascope" on October 13, 1913; applied for a patent on October 21, 1914, although the submitted drawing was very different from the final instrument; and submitted two copies of the copyrighted instrument on October 18, 1915. Leishman claimed that his device, which sold for 85¢ in 1919 and 50¢ in the 1920s, was popular with schools for solving problems in trigonometry, geometry, and drafting. He produced eight inventions by the time he was 20 years old and moved to Los Angeles around 1920. In the 1920s and 1930s he obtained several patents related to television, and in the 1940s and 1950s he developed devices that applied television principles to medical technology.
References: "Ogden Invention is Being Placed on the Market," The Ogden Standard (October 21, 1914), 7; Library of Congress, Catalogue of Copyright Entries, Part 4: Works of Art, n.s., vol. 9, no. 1 (Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, 1914), 525; "Ogden Inventor Forms Company," The Ogden Standard (September 28, 1915), 8; LeRoy J. Leishman, "Measuring Instrument" (U.S. Patent 1,181,900 issued May 2, 1916); W. E. Zuppann, "Pictures Sent by Wireless," Illustrated World 26, no. 5 (January 1917): 678–680; "LeRoy James Leishman Papers," Harold B. Lee Library, Brigham Young University, http://findingaid.lib.byu.edu/viewItem/MSS%203243.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
after 1917
maker
Leishman, LeRoy J.
ID Number
1982.0147.03
catalog number
1982.0147.03
accession number
1982.0147

Irregular Curve or French Curve

This is one of eight flat wooden irregular curves contained in a box with museum number 1979.0992.01. It is stamped at the base: 7. Two arrows mark a section of the curve. Next to this section is penciled in the phrase: cooling Curve.Currently not on view
Description
This is one of eight flat wooden irregular curves contained in a box with museum number 1979.0992.01. It is stamped at the base: 7. Two arrows mark a section of the curve. Next to this section is penciled in the phrase: cooling Curve.
Location
Currently not on view
ID Number
1979.0992.05
accession number
1979.0992
catalog number
1979.0992.05

Irregular Curve or French Curve

This is one of eight flat wooden irregular curves contained in a box with museum number 1979.0992.01. It is stamped at the base: 1.Currently not on view
Description
This is one of eight flat wooden irregular curves contained in a box with museum number 1979.0992.01. It is stamped at the base: 1.
Location
Currently not on view
ID Number
1979.0992.09
accession number
1979.0992
catalog number
1979.0992.09

Hairspring Compass with Lengthening Bar and Pen Point

This metal compass has a cylindrical scrolled handle. The upper parts of the legs have decorative grooves on either side. A thumbscrew on one leg may be used to finely adjust the angle of the leg (hence, the name "hairspring").
Description
This metal compass has a cylindrical scrolled handle. The upper parts of the legs have decorative grooves on either side. A thumbscrew on one leg may be used to finely adjust the angle of the leg (hence, the name "hairspring"). The lower parts of the legs are hinged and are attached by screws so that the pencil point and needle point may be replaced by the pen point or lengthening bar contained with the instrument. Small thumbscrews on the needle, pencil, and pen points allow for fine adjustments.
The donor of this object, William J. Ellenberger (1908–2008), studied electrical and mechanical engineering at The George Washington University between 1925 and 1934. He then worked for the Potomac Electric Power Company and the National Bureau of Standards. During World War II, he served in the U.S. Army Signal Corps. He was a civilian construction management engineer for the army from 1954 to 1968, when he became a private consultant. He may have acquired this instrument during his studies or early career.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
early 20th century
ID Number
1981.0933.20
accession number
1981.0933
catalog number
1981.0933.20

Schoenner Flat Case of Drawing Instruments

This wooden case is covered with black leather and lined with blue satin and velvet. It has a steel locking pin. Masking tape across the hinge end of the case is marked: A. C. CROWNFIELD.
Description
This wooden case is covered with black leather and lined with blue satin and velvet. It has a steel locking pin. Masking tape across the hinge end of the case is marked: A. C. CROWNFIELD. The set includes:
1) 6-1/8" German silver drawing compass with bendable legs and removable pencil point, pen point, and extension bar. Inside one leg is marked: SCHOENNER, GERMANY.
2) 5-3/4" German silver and steel fixed-leg dividers. Inside one leg is marked: SCHOENNER, GERMANY III.
3) 3-1/4" German silver and steel bow pencil, bow pen, and bow dividers.
4) 1-3/8" metal cylindrical case with three pencil leads.
5) 5-1/4" wood, German silver, and steel drawing pen. The end is marked in gold: SCHOENNER (/) GERMANY.
The joint tightener is missing. For Schoenner company history, see 1989.0305.05. Ruth E. Crownfield, the widow of Albert C. Crownfield Jr., a mechanical engineer from Mohawk, N.Y., donated this set of drawing instruments in 1979. The style of marks on these objects and the dates of other instruments received from this donor suggest that this set was made around the 1930s.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1930
maker
Schoenner, Georg
ID Number
1979.0868.01
catalog number
1979.0868.01
accession number
1979.0868

Dietzgen Gem Union Drawing Pen

This 5-3/8" steel, German silver, and ebony drawing pen is marked on the blade: E. D.–Co. UNION. A piece missing from the top of the handle may have been intentionally shaved away instead of accidentally broken.As part of its Gem Union product line, the Eugene Dietzgen Co.
Description
This 5-3/8" steel, German silver, and ebony drawing pen is marked on the blade: E. D.–Co. UNION. A piece missing from the top of the handle may have been intentionally shaved away instead of accidentally broken.
As part of its Gem Union product line, the Eugene Dietzgen Co. of Chicago sold similar drawing pens, described as 5-1/2" long, in 1904 as model 502 for $1.20 and in 1926 as model 623 for $4.00. Engineer William J. Ellenberger (1908–2008) owned this pen. For his biography, see 1981.0933.25.
References: Catalog of Eugene Dietzgen Co., 7th ed. (Chicago, 1904), 54; Catalog of Eugene Dietzgen Co., 12th ed. (Chicago, 1926), 61.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
early 20th century
maker
Eugene Dietzgen Company
ID Number
1981.0933.23
accession number
1981.0933
catalog number
1981.0933.23

Case for Irregular Curves

This well-made wooden, paper-lined case holds eight wooden irregular curves (1979.0992.02 thru 1979.0992.09). It is hinged and closes with two metal hooks. A mark inked on the inside along the front reads: T-3-4959.Currently not on view
Description
This well-made wooden, paper-lined case holds eight wooden irregular curves (1979.0992.02 thru 1979.0992.09). It is hinged and closes with two metal hooks. A mark inked on the inside along the front reads: T-3-4959.
Location
Currently not on view
ID Number
1979.0992.01
accession number
1979.0992
catalog number
1979.0992.01

Irregular Curve or French Curve

This is one of eight flat wooden irregular curves contained in a box with museum number 1979.0992.01. It is stamped at the base: 19. The curves are on the outside and within a single inner opening.Currently not on view
Description
This is one of eight flat wooden irregular curves contained in a box with museum number 1979.0992.01. It is stamped at the base: 19. The curves are on the outside and within a single inner opening.
Location
Currently not on view
ID Number
1979.0992.06
accession number
1979.0992
catalog number
1979.0992.06

Irregular Curve or French Curve

This is one of eight flat wooden curves received in box with number 1979.0992.01. It is stamped at the base: 21. Curves are on the outside and within two inner openings.Currently not on view
Description
This is one of eight flat wooden curves received in box with number 1979.0992.01. It is stamped at the base: 21. Curves are on the outside and within two inner openings.
Location
Currently not on view
ID Number
1979.0992.04
accession number
1979.0992
catalog number
1979.0992.04

Irregular Curve or French Curve

This is one of eight flat wooden irregular curves contained in a box with museum number 1979.0992.01. It is not signed, but is stamped at the base with the number: 11. The curves are on the outside and within a single inner opening.Currently not on view
Description
This is one of eight flat wooden irregular curves contained in a box with museum number 1979.0992.01. It is not signed, but is stamped at the base with the number: 11. The curves are on the outside and within a single inner opening.
Location
Currently not on view
ID Number
1979.0992.02
accession number
1979.0992
catalog number
1979.0992.02

Dietzgen 736B Bow Compass with Pencil Point

This steel and German silver instrument has a needle point on one leg and a holder for a pencil lead on the other. The handle has vertical ridges above a single line of raised metal dots.
Description
This steel and German silver instrument has a needle point on one leg and a holder for a pencil lead on the other. The handle has vertical ridges above a single line of raised metal dots. The width of the compass is adjusted with a pin through the legs and a wheel around the pin between the legs. Additional thumbscrews allow adjusting of the needle and pencil points. The instrument appears to be a Federal Bow Pencil, model number 736B, advertised in 1926 by the Eugene Dietzgen Company of Chicago.
Reference: Catalog of Eugene Dietzgen Co., 12th ed. (Chicago, 1926), 60, 74.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1926
maker
Eugene Dietzgen Company
ID Number
1981.0933.21
accession number
1981.0933
catalog number
1981.0933.21

Irregular Curve or French Curve

This is one of eight flat wooden irregular curves contained in a box with museum number 1979.0992.01. It is stamped at the base with the number: 27. The curves are on the outside and within a single inner opening.Currently not on view
Description
This is one of eight flat wooden irregular curves contained in a box with museum number 1979.0992.01. It is stamped at the base with the number: 27. The curves are on the outside and within a single inner opening.
Location
Currently not on view
ID Number
1979.0992.03
accession number
1979.0992
catalog number
1979.0992.03

Soellner Drawing Pen

This 4-3/4" steel, German silver, and metal drawing pen is marked on the tightening screw: SOELLNER (/) GERMANY. Soellner was a 20th-century German manufacturer of drawing instruments.William J.
Description
This 4-3/4" steel, German silver, and metal drawing pen is marked on the tightening screw: SOELLNER (/) GERMANY. Soellner was a 20th-century German manufacturer of drawing instruments.
William J. Ellenberger (1908–2008), who owned this pen, studied electrical and mechanical engineering at The George Washington University between 1925 and 1934. He then worked for the Potomac Electric Power Company and the National Bureau of Standards. During World War II, he served in the U.S. Army Signal Corps. He was a civilian construction management engineer for the army from 1954 to 1968, when he became a private consultant.
Reference: "The GW Engineering Hall of Fame 2006 Inductees," http://www.weas.gwu.edu/ifaf/hall_of_fame_inductees_2006.php.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1900
maker
Soellner
ID Number
1981.0933.24
accession number
1981.0933
catalog number
1981.0933.24

Eagle Pencil Company Model 569 Compass and Divider with Leads

This metal instrument is held together by a screw at the top. A spring inside the mechanism below the screw allows the two legs to be squeezed together. The piece between the screw and spring is marked: EAGLE PENCIL CO. (/) NEW YORK (/) PATENTED.
Description
This metal instrument is held together by a screw at the top. A spring inside the mechanism below the screw allows the two legs to be squeezed together. The piece between the screw and spring is marked: EAGLE PENCIL CO. (/) NEW YORK (/) PATENTED. The legs are embossed with a floral pattern. Two needle points slide into slots at the end of each leg. One needle point is reversible and has a holder for a pencil lead at its other end. Compare to 304722.04, which is apparently an older version of this model. The mark refers to the patent Harrison Cole received in 1894 for a braking screw bolt that would help compasses or dividers remain set in position.
A cardboard box is covered with green and white checked paper and a white label marked: EAGLE (/) COMPASS & DIVIDER (/) Pat. Dec. 11th 1894. Pat. Gt. Britain. (/) Reg. U. S. Pat. Off. & Canada. (/) NO. 569. (/) Manufactured by EAGLE PENCIL CO., New York, U.S.A. Two small aluminum tubes received with the instrument each hold five sharpened pencil leads.
German immigrant Heinrich Berolzheimer opened Eagle Pencil Company as a pencil shop in New York City in 1856, with a factory in Yonkers. By 1880, the firm made mechanical pencils as well as pens and erasers. In 1969, the company changed its name to Berol Corporation, and the Empire Pencil Corporation purchased it in 1986.
References: Harrison Cole, "Drawing Instrument" (U.S. Patent 530,680 issued December 11, 1894); "The History of Berol," http://www.berol.co.uk/berolhistory.html.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
20th century
maker
Eagle Pencil Company
ID Number
1981.0933.17
accession number
1981.0933
catalog number
1981.0933.17

Dietzgen 738C Bow Compass with Pen Point

This steel instrument has a needle point on one leg and a pen point on the other. A cross-hatched handle is attached to a ring, which in turn is attached to the legs.
Description
This steel instrument has a needle point on one leg and a pen point on the other. A cross-hatched handle is attached to a ring, which in turn is attached to the legs. A screw goes through both legs, with the nut for setting the compass at a desired width outside the leg with the needle point. Additional thumbscrews allow adjusting of the needle and pen points.
The instrument appears to be a Champion Bow Pen, model number 738C, advertised in 1926 by the Eugene Dietzgen Company of Chicago. The leg with the needle point has handwriting: P M LARSEN. Engraved on the other leg is the word EXCELLO and the Dietzgen logo.
Reference: Catalog of Eugene Dietzgen Co., 12th ed. (Chicago, 1926), 59, 74.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1926
maker
Eugene Dietzgen Company
ID Number
1981.0933.22
accession number
1981.0933
catalog number
1981.0933.22

6 Pen Nibs and Case for Pencil Leads

This object consists of one 1-11/16" cylindrical metal case for pencil leads and six nibs for dip pens. The first nib is marked: 968 (/) R. ESTERBROOK & Co. (/) RADIO PEN (/) MADE IN U.S.A. The second nib is marked: 988 (/) R. ESTERBROOK & Co (/) RADIO PEN (/) MADE IN U.S.A.
Description
This object consists of one 1-11/16" cylindrical metal case for pencil leads and six nibs for dip pens. The first nib is marked: 968 (/) R. ESTERBROOK & Co. (/) RADIO PEN (/) MADE IN U.S.A. The second nib is marked: 988 (/) R. ESTERBROOK & Co (/) RADIO PEN (/) MADE IN U.S.A. The third and fourth nibs are marked: B (/) BEATS ALL (/) STUB. The fifth nib is marked: C (/) BEATS ALL (/) BANK. The sixth nib is marked: V (/) BEATS ALL (/) SCHOOL.
Richard Esterbrook moved from England to the Americas in the 1850s to manufacture steel pens, opening a factory in Camden, N.J., around 1860. The company expanded into fountain pens around 1920. The Radio line of pen nibs, steel points for dip pens, was introduced around that time, but these nibs were probably made later. Venus Pen and Pencil, formerly the American Lead Pencil Co., purchased Esterbrook in 1967. It is unclear which pen manufacturer made the "Beats All" brands, but these examples probably date to the 1930s.
William J. Ellenberger (1908–2008), who owned these items, studied electrical and mechanical engineering at The George Washington University between 1925 and 1934. He then worked for the Potomac Electric Power Company and the National Bureau of Standards. During World War II, he served in the U.S. Army Signal Corps. He was a civilian construction management engineer for the army from 1954 to 1968, when he became a private consultant.
References: advertisement for Esterbrook Pens, The American Stationer and Office Outfitter 90, no. 8(March 4, 1922): 35; "The GW Engineering Hall of Fame 2006 Inductees," http://www.weas.gwu.edu/ifaf/hall_of_fame_inductees_2006.php.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1940
maker
Esterbrook Pen Company
ID Number
1981.0933.25
accession number
1981.0933
catalog number
1981.0933.25

Needle Point

This metal object has vertical scrolling on its upper part and horizontal scrolling on a collar near the needle point. It would have fit onto one leg of a drawing instrument, such as a compass, and it probably dates to the early 20th century.Currently not on view
Description
This metal object has vertical scrolling on its upper part and horizontal scrolling on a collar near the needle point. It would have fit onto one leg of a drawing instrument, such as a compass, and it probably dates to the early 20th century.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
early 20th century
ID Number
1981.0933.27
accession number
1981.0933
catalog number
1981.0933.27

Set of Drawing Instruments

This wooden case is covered with black leather and lined with purple velvet. Several circles have been drawn on the top of the lid.
Description
This wooden case is covered with black leather and lined with purple velvet. Several circles have been drawn on the top of the lid. The velvet inside the lid folds out to reveal a 6-3/4" wooden straight edge; a 3-1/2" metal L-shaped square; a 3-3/8" metal semicircular protractor divided to single degrees and numbered by tens from 10 to 170; and a 6" ivory plotting scale with one scalloped end. The plotting scale has diagonal scales at both ends. Above it are scales divided to 1/10" and numbered by ones from 6 to 1, and divided to 1/12" and numbered by tens from 50 to 10. The back of the plotting scale has a scale of chords and scales dividing the inch into 45, 40, 35, 30, 25, and 20 parts.
The bottom of the case has four pairs of German silver and steel dividers. Two pairs have a removable leg and are 5-3/8" long, one pair has fixed legs and is 4-7/8", and one pair has a removable leg and is 3-3/4". A pencil point is a little bit too short for the longest dividers, and a pen point is a little bit too long for the longest dividers. Another pen point and pencil point fit the shortest pair of dividers. A 2-3/4" drawing pen has a very short cylindrical handle. Three empty slots suggest that some of the original instruments in the set are missing. One slot is round for a ceramic cup; compare to 1990.0115.01.
The set was found in the Museum collections in 1979 with objects that suggest an association with Cleveland Abbe (1838–1916), an American engineer, astronomer, and meteorologist who worked for the U.S. Weather Service from 1871 until shortly before his death.
Reference: accession file.
date made
19th century
ID Number
1979.0876.01
catalog number
1979.0876.01
accession number
1979.0876

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