Flat Cases

A Eugene Dietzgen Company set of drawing instruments.

While retailers often called this style of case a "pocket case," we have chosen the name "flat case" to avoid confusion with the earlier form of vertical pocket case shown on another page. Flat cases were usually fastened with a sliding pin known as a "bar-lock." They were sold most widely in the 20th century by firms such as Keuffel & Esser.

Search term: *:* Set Name: Science & Mathematics Clear All

Set of Bow Compasses

This small square wooden case is covered with black leather and lined with maroon and black velvet. The latch is opened by pushing on it with a metal rod. Inside the case are 3" bow dividers, bow pen, and bow pencil, all made of German silver with ivory handles.
Description
This small square wooden case is covered with black leather and lined with maroon and black velvet. The latch is opened by pushing on it with a metal rod. Inside the case are 3" bow dividers, bow pen, and bow pencil, all made of German silver with ivory handles. These may be the only bow compasses with rounded ivory handles in the collections. W. F. Stanley of London sold sets of bow compasses from about 1850 to 1940, but the handles were designed differently. Comparing these instruments to others received in the same accession suggests they were made in the late 19th century.
Location
Currently not on view
Currently not on view
date made
late 19th century
ID Number
1978.2110.01
catalog number
1978.2110.01
accession number
1978.2110
catalog number
336727

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

Set of Drawing Instruments Sold by Frost & Adams

This wooden case is covered with black leather, has metal latches, and is lined with purple velvet. A purple satin ribbon inside the lid is marked: FROST & ADAMS, (/) BOSTON, MASS.
Description
This wooden case is covered with black leather, has metal latches, and is lined with purple velvet. A purple satin ribbon inside the lid is marked: FROST & ADAMS, (/) BOSTON, MASS. The set contains the following instruments, all of which fit properly in their slots and thus may be original:
1) 6-1/4" German silver drawing compass with reversible needle point, removable pencil point, pen point attachment, and extension bar with pencil point. The insides of the compass legs are marked: FROST & ADAMS BOSTON, MASS. Each leg is also marked: QA. The insert for the pencil point is marked: QA. The inserts for the pen point and extension bar are marked: QG.
2) 6-1/4" German silver and steel fixed-leg dividers. The insides of the divider legs are marked: BOSTON, MASS. FROST & ADAMS. Each leg is also marked: 43.
3) 2" metal cylinder with three pencil leads and two needle points.
4) Three German silver and steel drawing pens with wooden handles (4-1/4", 5", 4-7/8"). The 4-7/8" pen has a metal lever marked: PAT.MAR.26.89.
5) 3-1/4" German silver and steel bow pencil, bow dividers, and bow pen. Each instrument is marked on the side: F A.
George Bennett, a resident of Philadelphia who had emigrated from England, received at least two patents for drawing pens. The first, for a pen that could make both narrow and broad lines at once so that a draftsman did not have to adjust the nib and add the broad lines later, is listed on a pen in this set.
Francis Seth Frost and E. H. Adams purchased an artists' supply store from Matthew J. Whipple at 37 Cornhill Street in Boston in 1867. Frost bought out Adams in 1872 but kept the Frost & Adams name. He expanded the business into additional locations, employed traveling salesmen, and stocked architectural materials and decorative items. Frost & Adams retailed sets of drafting instruments made by Kern and by Alteneder, but this particular set was not advertised in the firm's catalogs for 1890, 1912, 1914, or 1915. The H. H. Sullivan Company purchased the store in the 1920s and was subsequently acquired by B. L. Makepeace in 1931.
References: George Bennett, "Drawing Pen" (U.S. Patent 400,178 issued March 26, 1889), and "Drafting Pen" (U.S. Patent 1,099,160 issued June 9, 1914); Moses King Corporation, King's Handbook of Boston (Buffalo, N.Y., 1889), 361–362.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1889-1921
ID Number
MA.325682
accession number
257193
catalog number
325682

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 Set of Drawing Instruments

This wooden bar-lock case is covered with leather and lined with blue velvet. The front is marked: KEUFFEL & ESSER CO. NEW YORK.
Description
This wooden bar-lock case is covered with leather and lined with blue velvet. The front is marked: KEUFFEL & ESSER CO. NEW YORK. The set contains: two steel drawing pens with ivory handles (5-5/8" and 4-3/4"); 3-1/2" German silver and steel compass with removable pen point; 5-5/8" German silver and steel dividers missing one leg with extension bar and pen and pencil point attachments; and a divider point that does not fit either the compass or dividers. The arrangement of instruments does not match any set advertised in Keuffel & Esser catalogs between 1880 and 1936.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1900
maker
Keuffel & Esser Co.
ID Number
MA.335335
accession number
305958
catalog number
335335

Set of Drawing Instruments

This wooden bar-lock case is covered with black leather and lined with purple velvet. The top is marked: OTTO FRUTH. A metal holder inside the lid secures a 4-1/8" wooden triangle and 6-1/2" beveled wooden straight edge.
Description
This wooden bar-lock case is covered with black leather and lined with purple velvet. The top is marked: OTTO FRUTH. A metal holder inside the lid secures a 4-1/8" wooden triangle and 6-1/2" beveled wooden straight edge. The bottom of the case contains: 5-1/8" German silver and steel dividers with removable point, pen point, and pencil point; 3/4" metal joint tightener; 1-7/8" brass cylindrical case with four graphite lead pieces; and 5-3/8" ivory, German silver, and steel drawing pen. The inside of one leg of the dividers and the insertion tip on the pencil point are both marked: 66. The pen point is marked: D.R.P. 40967.
An empty slot in the case suggests a lengthening bar is missing. The pen point may have come from another drawing compass, and the drawing pen may not be original to this set. German patent record 40967 was not located.
Otto J. Fruth (1874–1965) was the father of the donor. Born and raised in St. Louis, Mo., he studied at the manual training school that became Washington University, earning a dental degree in 1897 and a medical degree in 1898. He was elected corresponding secretary of the Missouri State Dental Association in 1902, and in 1908, he built a house for his practice. Until 1918 he operated Barnes Medical College with two other dentists, George H. Owen and D. E. Morrow. For a set of drawing instruments owned by his father, Andreas Fruth, see 1990.0115.01.
References: Fruth Family, Papers, 1862–1920s, Missouri History Museum, http://collections.mohistory.org/archive/ARC:A0537; "Missouri State Dental Association," The Dental Cosmos 44, no. 7 (July 1902): 761; "American, Barnes, and National College Collection, 1881–1915," Bernard Becker Library Archives, http://beckerarchives.wustl.edu/index.php?p=collections/findingaid&id=8693; accession file.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1900
ID Number
1990.0115.02
catalog number
1990.0115.02
accession number
1990.0115

Schoenner Set of Drawing Instruments Sold by E. L. Washburn & Co.

This wooden case is covered with black leather and lined with blue satin and velvet. The case has a steel locking pin. The bottom of the case has a red and white sticker marked: PRE-1960 (/) PROPERTY OF (/) Edward A. Chapin. (/) SMITHSONIAN (/) ENTOMOLOGY.
Description
This wooden case is covered with black leather and lined with blue satin and velvet. The case has a steel locking pin. The bottom of the case has a red and white sticker marked: PRE-1960 (/) PROPERTY OF (/) Edward A. Chapin. (/) SMITHSONIAN (/) ENTOMOLOGY. The inside of the lid is marked: E. L. Washburn & Co (/) New Haven, Conn. The set includes:
1) 6" German silver compass with bendable legs and removable pencil point, pen point, and lengthening bar. On one side, the joint is marked: D.R.P. On the other side, the joint has the Schoenner logo: an S, a G, and two intersecting arrows with two heads superimposed on each other. Inside one leg is marked: SCHOENNER GERMANY.
2) 5-3/4" German silver fixed-leg dividers. On one side, the joint is marked: D.R.P. On the other side, the joint has the Schoenner logo: an S, G, and two intersecting arrows with two heads superimposed on each other. Inside one leg is marked: SCHOENNER GERMANY.
3) 3-3/8" German silver bow dividers, bow pen, and bow pencil.
4) 4" and 5-1/8" ebony, German silver, and steel drawing pens.
5) 1-1/4" cylindrical metal case with four pencil leads. Two additional leads and a 1/2" round brass weight are loose in the case.
6) 1" metal joint tightener.
Besides the extra leads and weight, the set appears to be intact. For other sets manufactured in part or whole by Schoenner, a German firm that operated between 1851 and World War II, see 1977.0279.01, 1977.1101.0097, 1979.0868.01, 1989.0305.05, 1990.0350.01, and 317925.04. E. L. Washburn, a medical doctor, began to make and sell surgical instruments and supplies in New Haven, Conn., in 1866. He had partners until 1876, when he became sole proprietor and named the business after himself. By 1899, he also sold mathematical instruments. The firm was still operating in 1938.
Edward Albert Chapin (1894–1969), curator of entomology at the National Museum of Natural History, owned these instruments. He completed undergraduate work at Yale in 1916 and then moved away from Connecticut, so it is likely he purchased the instruments during his studies. He worked for the Smithsonian from 1934 to 1954 and left the set behind when he retired. U.S. Department of Agriculture scientist Richard White may then have used the instruments.
References: Leading Business Men of New Haven County (Boston: Mercantile Publishing Company, 1887), 134; New Haven Directory (New Haven: Price & Lee Co., 1899), 734; Smithsonian Institution Archives Acc. 11-085, "Chapin, Edward Albert 1894–, Edward Albert Chapin Field Notebooks, 1937–1947," http://siarchives.si.edu/collections/siris_arc_298428; accession file.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1915
distributor
E. L. Washburn & Co.
maker
Schoenner, Georg
ID Number
1996.0295.01
catalog number
1996.0295.01
accession number
1996.0295

Set of Drawing Instruments Sold by Hirshberg Art Company

This wooden case is covered with black leather and lined with blue satin and velvet. A metal sliding pin serves as a bar lock. The lid is marked: 2072. A piece of tape on the lid is marked: No. 4 (/) L. H. S. Inside the lid is marked: HIRSHBERG ART CO. (/) Baltimore, Md.
Description
This wooden case is covered with black leather and lined with blue satin and velvet. A metal sliding pin serves as a bar lock. The lid is marked: 2072. A piece of tape on the lid is marked: No. 4 (/) L. H. S. Inside the lid is marked: HIRSHBERG ART CO. (/) Baltimore, Md. Between the lines of text is the firm's logo, a stag above a ribbon with the word "TRADEMARK."
The set contains a 6" compass with bendable legs and removable pencil point, pen point, divider point, and lengthening bar; 1-3/8" cylindrical ridged metal case for pencil leads; and 5" steel and wood drawing pen. The joint tightener is missing, and the lead case is empty.
Hirshberg Art Company began to sell art and drafting supplies in Baltimore around 1900. In 1910, it offered model number 2072 for $3.00. The store was still in business in 1922. The donor's father, John William Bernard Gilbert (1901–1973), acquired the instruments as a student at Laurel (Md.) High School. He entered college in the fall of 1919, so he purchased the set before then. His father, William E. Gilbert, owned a business in Baltimore.
References: Hirshberg Art Co., Catalogue and Price List of Artists' Materials (Baltimore, 1910), 234; The Educational Red Book: A Buyer's Guide for School Superintendents, Secretaries, and Board Members (Albany, N.Y.: C. F. Williams & Son, 1922), 40; accession file.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1918
maker
Hirshberg Art Company
ID Number
1995.0125.01
accession number
1995.0125
catalog number
1995.0125.01

Set of Drawing Instruments

This wooden bar-lock case is covered with black leather and lined with black satin and velvet. A silver metal plate on the lid has been scratched with the letters: E R. A compartment inside the lid (such as often held a protractor) is empty.
Description
This wooden bar-lock case is covered with black leather and lined with black satin and velvet. A silver metal plate on the lid has been scratched with the letters: E R. A compartment inside the lid (such as often held a protractor) is empty. The case holds:
1) 1-1/2" German silver trammels for a beam compass with pen point attachment.
2) 3" steel bow pencil and two bow dividers. The handle for the bow pencil is different from those on the dividers.
3) 6" German silver and steel proportional dividers, marked on one side for circles from 7 to 20 and for lines from 3/4 to 10. The other side is marked for planes from 2 to 10 and for solids from 2 to 10.
4) 5-1/2" German silver dividers with bendable legs and removable needle points. One leg may be replaced with 3" German silver and steel pen and pencil point attachments. All three pieces and the dividers are marked: 24.
5) 4-3/4" brass and steel fixed leg dividers. One point may be adjusted.
6) 4-1/4" brass compass with pencil point. The legs are bendable.
7) 4" brass and steel drawing compass with pen point and bendable legs.
8) 2-1/8" brass and steel pen point that does not appear to fit any instrument in the set.
9) 4-1/2" German silver pricker with ivory handle.
10) 4-1/2", 5-1/4", and 5-1/2" steel drawing pens with ivory handles. The shortest pen is marked: KENT DRAWING PEN (/) HIGH SPEED. Four Japanese characters are to the right of this mark. The back is marked: PAT'D. The middle pen is marked: MIDZUKAMI (/) BEST. The longest pen is unmarked.
11) 1-1/2" empty cylindrical ivory case for leads.
12) 3-3/8" metal bow compass missing both legs. One screw is marked: NCMIS COMPANY (/) MADE IN HOLLAND.
The incomplete bow instrument is clearly not original to the set. Although the brass instruments fit poorly in their slots, a similar set of Kent drawing instruments sold on Ebay in June 2012. George Kent began manufacturing industrial instruments in London in 1838. The firm acquired the Cambridge Scientific Instrument Company in 1968 and was in turn acquired by Brown, Boveri, and Company of Switzerland in 1974.
Reference: "George Kent," Grace's Guide to British Industrial History, http://www.gracesguide.co.uk/George_Kent.
Location
Currently not on view
Currently not on view
date made
early 20th century
ID Number
1979.0420.01
catalog number
1979.0420.01
accession number
1979.0420

E. O. Richter & Co. 1610 Set of Drawing Instruments

This wooden bar-lock case is covered with imitation black leather and lined with dark blue velvet. The top of the case is marked: Präcision (/) D. P. (/) E. O. Richter & Co. The Richter trademark of a superimposed backwards E, O, and R is between the letters D and P.
Description
This wooden bar-lock case is covered with imitation black leather and lined with dark blue velvet. The top of the case is marked: Präcision (/) D. P. (/) E. O. Richter & Co. The Richter trademark of a superimposed backwards E, O, and R is between the letters D and P. The set includes:
1) 5-1/2" and 5-3/8" painted metal, German silver, and steel drawing pens.
2) 6-1/4" German silver fixed-leg dividers. The center hinge is marked: Richter. The Richter trademark is to the right of the mark.
3) 6-1/4" German silver dividers with extension bar and removable pencil, pen, and needle points. The center hinge is marked: Richter. The Richter trademark is to the right of the mark.
4) 2-1/2" metal screwdriver painted black. Inside the tube are two needle points.
5) 3-1/4" metal handle with three needle points inside.
6) 4-1/8" German silver bow dividers, bow pencil, and bow pen, all with a central thumbscrew. On each instrument, the side of one leg is marked with the Richter trademark. The bow pen is also marked: D. R. P.
The pens may not be original and the joint tightener is missing, but the rest of the set appears to be intact. Compare to 317925.04, 325684, 1985.0909.01, and 2007.0039.01. E. O. Richter & Co., which began making fine drawing instruments in Chemnitz, Germany, in 1892, advertised this set as model number 1610. In 1926, it sold for 59.00 DM.
Reference: Catalogue of E. O. Richter & Co., 5th ed. (Chemnitz, Germany, [1926]), 71.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
early 20th century
maker
E. O. Richter & Co.
ID Number
MA.335301
accession number
317889
catalog number
335301

E. O. Richter & Co. 2330 Set of Drawing Instruments Sold by Frederik Preisler

This wooden bar-lock case is covered with black leather and lined with dark blue velvet. The top is marked: Präcision (/) D. P. (/) E. O. Richter & Co. Between the letters D and P is the Richter trademark of a backwards E, O, and R, superimposed on each other.
Description
This wooden bar-lock case is covered with black leather and lined with dark blue velvet. The top is marked: Präcision (/) D. P. (/) E. O. Richter & Co. Between the letters D and P is the Richter trademark of a backwards E, O, and R, superimposed on each other. The lower left corner of the top is also marked: [Fre]derik Preisler (/) Kjøbenhavn. Carved in the back of the case is the mark: H. T. FRIIS. The set includes:
1) 6" aluminum, German silver, and steel drawing pen marked: CORN.KNUDSEN. Trademarks of two superimposed dividers are on either side of the mark. The object is cataloged separately as 1985.0909.02.
2) 3-3/16" and 2-11/16" German silver handles. The smaller handle holds four needle points.
3) Two 1-1/2" steel pen points that do not appear to fit any of the compasses in the set.
4) 6" German silver and steel fixed-point dividers. The center hinge is marked: Richter. The Richter trademark is to the right of the mark.
5) 4-1/2" German silver compass with pencil point. The center hinge is marked: Richter. The Richter trademark is to the right of the mark.
6) 2-3/4" and 2-1/2" German silver and steel screwdrivers. The first screwdriver is marked: FRANCE 6. It is cataloged separately as 1985.0909.03. The second screwdriver matches the handles and appears to be original to the set.
7) 6-1/4" German silver drawing compass with removable pencil and pen points and extension bar. The center hinge is marked: Richter. The Richter trademark is to the right of the mark.
8) 4-3/4" German silver drop spring bow pencil marked: D. R. Pat. The Richter trademark is between the letter R and "Pat."
9) 4-1/2" German silver bow dividers. The side of one leg is marked: D. R. P. The Richter trademark is below the mark.
10) Two 5-1/8" and one 4" leads, all marked: SSWS MADE U.S.A. U.S. PAT. 1,832,654 (/) 3H EAGLE TURQUOISE ® ELECTRONIC 3H. (The shortest lead is marked 2H instead of 3H.) These items are cataloged separately as 1985.0909.04.
E. O. Richter & Co. of Chemnitz, Germany, sold mathematical instruments from 1885 but became notable from 1892 when it began making fine drawing instruments. See also 317925.04, 325684, 335301, and 2007.0039.01. In 1926, Richter sold this set as model number 2330 for 61.00 DM. Several of the original instruments in this particular set are missing, while others from various makers have been added to the case.
Frederik Preisler made and distributed scientific instruments in Copenhagen, Denmark, around 1900. The Copenhagen firm founded in 1838 by Cornelius Knudsen made optical, navigational, and surveying instruments, planimeters, and equipment for telegraphy into the 1930s.
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. Its Turquoise line of drawing leads was widely sold in the early 20th century.
Harald Trap Friis (1893–1976) owned these instruments. He earned a degree in electrical engineering from the Technical University of Denmark in 1916. In 1919 he moved to the United States to study at Columbia University. He worked for Bell Labs from 1920 to 1958 and was notable for discoveries in the mathematics of radio transmissions, the development of radio astronomy, and improvements in microwave radar and communication equipment. Friis likely purchased his original set from the Preisler firm before he left Denmark. His widow donated his papers and this set of instruments to the Library of Congress in 1977, which transferred the set to the Smithsonian in 1982.
References: Catalogue of E. O. Richter & Co., 5th ed. (Chemnitz, Germany, [1926]), 78; Hemming Andersen, Historic Scientific Instruments in Denmark (Copenhagen: Royal Danish Academy of Sciences and Letters, 1995), 8–10, 37, 47, 55, 68, 79–82, 276; "Eagle Divider and Compass," School Journal 56 (1898): 389.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1920
maker
E. O. Richter & Co.
ID Number
1985.0909.01
accession number
1985.0909
catalog number
1985.0909.01

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

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. The case contains:1) 4-3/4" German silver and steel drop spring bow pen marked: E. O. RICHTER & Co (/) GERMANY.
Description
This wooden case is covered with black leather and lined with blue satin and velvet. It has a steel locking pin. The case contains:
1) 4-3/4" German silver and steel drop spring bow pen marked: E. O. RICHTER & Co (/) GERMANY. The firm's trademark with superimposed backwards E, R, and O is next to the mark.
2) 6-1/8" German silver drawing compass with bendable legs and removable needle point (the needle is missing), extension bar, and pen point. On one side, the center joint is marked: D.R.P. The other side has the Schoenner trademark of a circle superimposed on two intersecting, two-headed arrows. Inside one leg is marked: SCHOENNER, GERMANY.
3) 5-3/4" German silver and steel fixed-point dividers. On one side, the center joint is marked: D.R.P. The other side has the Schoenner trademark. Inside one leg is marked: SCHOENNER, GERMANY.
4) 4-3/4" German silver and steel dividers with removable divider points, pen point, and pencil point. On one side, the center joint is marked: D.R.P. The other side has the Schoenner trademark. Inside one leg is marked: SCHOENNER. Inside the other leg is marked: 14.
5) 3-1/2" German silver and steel bow dividers.
6) 5-1/8" ivory and steel railroad pen with tightening screws in both blades and the central shank. The handle is marked: KEUFFEL & ESSER Co. N.Y. (/) GERMANY.
7) 5-1/8" ivory, German silver, and steel drawing pen marked: PARAGON. It is also marked: GERMANY. Paragon was a brand of Keuffel & Esser.
8) 4-3/8" ebony, German silver, and steel drawing pen marked: POSTS (/) GERMANY.
The Schoenner instruments and bow dividers fit properly in their slots and thus are likely original to the set. Slots in the case suggest that a bow pen and pencil, case for pencil leads, joint tightener, small pen point, and proportional compass were part of the original set. For Schoenner company history, see 1989.0305.05.
Chauncey Brockway Schmeltzer (1894–1974) owned this set of drawing instruments. He earned bachelor's and master's degrees in civil engineering from the University of Illinois in 1919 and 1920, and taught there until 1926. He also worked in private practice in Urbana, Ill., from 1921 to 1933. He then became an associate engineer appraiser for the Federal Land Bank of St. Louis until 1936. From 1936, he held the same title at the USDA's Bureau of Agricultural Engineering.
Reference: Winfield Scott Downs, ed., Who's Who in Engineering, 4th ed. (New York: Lewis Historical Publishing Company, 1937), 1217.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1930
maker
Schoenner, Georg
ID Number
MA.317925.04
accession number
317925
catalog number
317925.04

Dietzgen 1288-3 Set of Drawing Instruments

A clear plastic envelope with two blue snaps and marked DIETZGEN contains a black hard plastic case that fastens with two sliding bars. The top of the case is marked: DIETZGEN (/) STELLAR (/) 1288-3 (/) MADE IN GERMANY. Red and yellow foam inside the lid has come unglued.
Description
A clear plastic envelope with two blue snaps and marked DIETZGEN contains a black hard plastic case that fastens with two sliding bars. The top of the case is marked: DIETZGEN (/) STELLAR (/) 1288-3 (/) MADE IN GERMANY. Red and yellow foam inside the lid has come unglued. The instrument tray is lined with red velvet. A brochure demonstrating the features of this set and a yellow cleaning cloth lie on top of the tray. The set includes:
1) 6" chromium-plated fixed-leg needle-point dividers. Black plastic covers the joint and is marked on one side: DIETZGEN. The other side is marked: GERMANY.
2) 4-1/2" chromium-plated bow pencil.
3) 6-1/2" chromium-plated bow pencil.
4) 1-3/8" black plastic cylindrical case for leads, containing three leads, three needle points, and one black plastic pen nib.
The joint tightener is missing. A slot in the case holds a piece of green paper marked: SPACE FOR DIETZGEN DRAFTING PENCIL. According to the brochure, this model number was normally sold without the pencil. These instruments were part of the Stellar product line.
The donor, Ed Severino, began his career in the 1940s as an engineer with General Electric Company in Schenectady, N.Y. After eight years, he went to teach mathematics and science at Mont [sic] Pleasant High School in Schenectady, where he became head of the Technical Department. According to the donor, this set of drawing instruments is of the type trainees used in the late 1970s and early 1980s, when Severino was director of his high school's General Electric Apprentice Training Educational Program.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1980
distributor
Eugene Dietzgen Company
ID Number
2006.0230.02
accession number
2006.0230
catalog number
2006.0230.02

Vemco Blue Dot Set of Drawing Instruments

This yellow metal case is covered with black imitation leather, lined with black foam, and fastened with a brass snap on a leather tab. The case is marked: VEMCO. A brochure for VEMCO's three types of drafting machines and drafting machine accessories is inside the case.
Description
This yellow metal case is covered with black imitation leather, lined with black foam, and fastened with a brass snap on a leather tab. The case is marked: VEMCO. A brochure for VEMCO's three types of drafting machines and drafting machine accessories is inside the case. The set includes:
1) 6-1/2" stainless steel fixed-leg needle-point dividers marked on both sides: VEMCO USA. Blue dots are near the tips of the dividers.
2) 6-3/4" stainless steel bow pencil with blue dots near the points. The central nut is marked: VEMCO (/) MOD. L560 (/) U.S.A. PAT.
3) 4-3/4" stainless steel bow pencil with blue dots near the points. The central nut is marked: VEMCO (/) MOD. S570 (/) U.S.A. PAT.
4) 1-1/2" clear plastic cylindrical case with two leads and three needle points.
5) 2-1/8" stainless steel needle point in a small manila envelope marked: Contents (/) 61-9 Long Shoulder Needle (/) For Use With (/) VEMCO Pen Attachments.
6) 6" stainless steel extension bar marked: TOP.
7) 2-1/2" stainless steel extension needle point.
Francis E. Vaughan and Floyd Eubanks founded V & E Manufacturing, or Vemco Corporation, in Pasadena, Calif., in 1939 to make high-quality drafting instruments. Eubanks patented eight drafting machines and drawing instruments in the early 1940s. The marks on the bow pencils probably refer to his patents, "Compass" (U.S. Patent 2,297,999 issued October 6, 1942), and "Compass" (U.S. Patent 2,298,000 issued October 6, 1942), which dealt with the design of the instrument and the process by which the metal parts were punched out during manufacturing. According to the donor, this set was manufactured in 1987.
References: Vemco Drafting Products Corporation, http://www.vemcocorp.com/; accession file.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1987
maker
Vemco Corporation
ID Number
1987.0589.03
accession number
1987.0589
catalog number
1987.0589.03

Hearlihy 340C Set of Drawing Instruments

This set is in a light blue cardboard box marked on all sides: Reißzeug • Drawing instrument set • Boîte de compass • Estuche de compases. On one end, the box is also marked: 340 C. On the other end, the box is marked: Made in West Germany.
Description
This set is in a light blue cardboard box marked on all sides: Reißzeug • Drawing instrument set • Boîte de compass • Estuche de compases. On one end, the box is also marked: 340 C. On the other end, the box is marked: Made in West Germany. The case is cream and brown plastic, marked on the top: H (/) Hearlihy & Co. The inside is lined with blue foam and velvet and holds:
1) 6" stainless steel fixed-leg needle-point dividers with a black plastic handle covering the hinge. The front is marked: H. The back is marked: GERMANY.
2) 1-5/8" steel screwdriver with black plastic butterfly handle marked: GERMANY.
3) 6-1/4" stainless steel and black plastic bow pencil with pen and extension bar attachments. The front of the compass is marked: H. The back is marked: GERMANY.
4) 1-1/4" black and white plastic cylindrical case holding two leads.
5) 1-1/2" black plastic rectangular case holding two leads, a needle point, and a replacement adjusting screw and nut. The lid is marked: GERMANY.
6) 4-3/4" stainless steel bow pencil with needle point and pen point attachments. One leg is marked: H GERMANY.
7) 3" black plastic pen handle.
Hearlihy & Co., a Springfield, Ohio, supplier of drafting instruments and developer of technology education curriculum modules founded by the donor's parents in 1969, distributed this set of drawing instruments. According to a note in the accession file, the set is original and complete even though there are at least three empty slots in the tray. The same case was used to sell different sets of instruments. The set was received new.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1987
ID Number
1987.0589.04
accession number
1987.0589
catalog number
1987.0589.04

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