| National Museum of American History

This miniature sharkskin pocket case is lined with green cardboard. An emblem of cherries is imprinted on the top and bottom of the case.

Description: This miniature sharkskin pocket case is lined with green cardboard. An emblem of cherries is imprinted on the top and bottom of the case. The case holds 3-1/4" silver and steel fixed-point dividers; a hollow silver scribe with a pen point that inserts into the tube and a pencil lead inside the tube; and a 3-5/8" silver French-style sector. (See http://americanhistory.si.edu/collections/object-groups/sectors.); One side of the sector has double scales of chords, running from 10 to 90, and for inscribed regular polygons, from 12 sides to 3 sides. A scale for diameters of bullets, running from 1/4 to 30, is along the outer edge of both legs. This side is marked: MARTEL (/) A GENEVE.; The other side has double scales of equal parts, running from 10 to 100, and for the specific weights of six metals. The outer edge of both legs has a scale for the caliber of shot, running from 1/4 to 27. A scalloped piece fits between the arms of the sector and may be used to lock the instrument into position. A square piece inside the hinge has a pinhole for a plumb line, although no plumb line is present.; Pierre Martel (1706–1767) was a Swiss engineer, mathematics teacher, maker of mathematical instruments, and geographer who used his own instruments to observe and explore glaciers in the Alps in 1742. He worked in Geneva from 1723 to 1743, in London from 1743 to 1746, and in Jamaica from 1746 to 1761.; References: Peter H. Hansen, The Summits of Modern Man: Mountineering After the Enlightenment (Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 2013), 32–33; Adler Planetarium, Webster Signature Database, http://historydb.adlerplanetarium.org/signatures/.
Location: Currently not on view

date made: 1723-1743

maker: Martel, Pierre

ID Number: MA.318453
accession number: 235072
catalog number: 318453

This 18th-century pocket-sized wooden case is covered with black fish skin. It currently holds ten drawing instruments:1) A 4" brass semicircular protractor, divided to single degrees and numbered by tens in both directions from 10 to 180.

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

date made: mid 18th century

maker: Butterfield, Michael

ID Number: MA.316914
accession number: 228694
catalog number: 316914

This 18th-century pocket-sized wooden case is covered with black shagreen, leather made from the skin of a shark or rayfish. A previous owner signed paper lining the lid: James Ross bought (/) of John E. Hornor [?] (/) Rice & 1710 N[illegible] (/) #181[illegible].

Description: This 18th-century pocket-sized wooden case is covered with black shagreen, leather made from the skin of a shark or rayfish. A previous owner signed paper lining the lid: James Ross bought (/) of John E. Hornor [?] (/) Rice & 1710 N[illegible] (/) #181[illegible]. Inside the lid is also handwritten: J. E. Hornor [?] (/) $15.50²⁴ (/) [illegible].; Six instruments are currently inside the case: 1) a brass and steel pair of 6" dividers with one removable point; 2) a 1-1/8" round brass handle that does not fit anything in the case; 3) a brass and steel pen point for the dividers; 4) a 6-1/4" brass and steel drawing pen; 5) a brass crayon holder for the dividers; and 6) a 6" ebony parallel rule with scalloped brass hinges.; When mathematician James McKenna gave this set of drawing instruments to the Smithsonian in 1934, he reported that an ancestor used it at Bedford, Pa., before 1800. A tool that was then in the case was scratched with the name John A. Stuart, suggesting that this surveyor in Bedford County who gave his name to a line laid out on Wills Mountain also owned the case at some point.; References: Maya Hambly, Drawing Instruments, 1580–1980 (London: Sotheby's, 1988), 185–190; Peggy A. Kidwell, "American Parallel Rules: Invention on the Fringes of Industry," Rittenhouse 10, no. 39 (1996): 90–96.
Location: Currently not on view

date made: 18th century

ID Number: MA.310891
catalog number: 310891
accession number: 131549

This pocket-sized wooden case is covered with black shagreen, leather made from the skin of a shark or rayfish. On the paper lining the inside of the lid, a previous owner has written: N. O'CONNOR 2/12/1806.

Description: This pocket-sized wooden case is covered with black shagreen, leather made from the skin of a shark or rayfish. On the paper lining the inside of the lid, a previous owner has written: N. O'CONNOR 2/12/1806. Ten drawing instruments were received with the case:; 1) A 4-1/2" boxwood plotting scale with diagonal scales at each end. Above the plotting scale are scales divided to 0.12" and to 1/10". The other side has a scale of chords and architect's scales dividing the inch into 35, 30, 25, 20, 15, and 10 parts.; 2) A 6" ebony parallel ruler with scalloped brass hinges.; 3) A pair of 3-3/4" brass and steel fixed-point dividers.; 4) A pair of 6-1/4" brass and steel dividers with a removable point.; 5) A brass and steel pen point that fits the 6-1/4" dividers.; 6) A pair of 5-14" brass and steel fixed-point dividers.; 7) A 3" brass and steel drawing pen with a swiveling handle.; 8) A lead pencil.; 9) A metal joint tightener and file.; 10) A brass gauge, unevenly graduated from 100 to 1,000 and marked "16 FT" on one side and unevenly graduated from 1,000 to 150 and marked "C 8 FT 6 IN" on the other. The first side is also marked: NEWTON & Co 3 FLEET S^T NEAR TEMPLE BAR LONDON.; William and Frederick Newton were the partners of Newton & Company, which sold scientific instruments and lantern slides from 3 Fleet Street in London from 1851 until the 1930s, when the firm moved to Wigmore Street. In the 1950s, the company was renamed Newton Photographic Services Ltd. The gauge, joint tightener, and pencil likely date to the mid-19th century. The other instruments are consistent with the 1806 date written on the case.; The donor, civil engineer C. B. Beyer of Albuquerque, New Mexico, gave the instruments to the Smithsonian in 1953.; References: Science Museum Group, "Collections Online – People," http://collectionsonline.nmsi.ac.uk/detail.php?type=related&kv=43411&t=people; Gloria Clifton, Directory of British Scientific Instrument Makers 1550-1851 (London: National Maritime Museum, 1995), 200.
Location: Currently not on view

date made: 1806

maker: Newton & Co.

ID Number: MA.314286
catalog number: 314286
accession number: 199264

This pocket-sized tortoiseshell case has silver trim around the outside, blue velvet lining in the lid, and wooden frame with slots for holding the instruments. The top of the case has a silver plate marked: ANIMO ET FIDE [courage and faith].

Description: This pocket-sized tortoiseshell case has silver trim around the outside, blue velvet lining in the lid, and wooden frame with slots for holding the instruments. The top of the case has a silver plate marked: ANIMO ET FIDE [courage and faith]. Inside the case are: a 4-1/2" pair of silver and steel dividers with one removable point; a silver crayon holder and a pen point that both fit the dividers; a 2-7/8" silver and steel drawing pen; a 4-1/2" ivory rectangular protractor; and a 4-7/8" ivory English-style sector with a silver hinge.; The protractor is divided to single degrees and numbered by tens in both directions from 10 to 170. The interior has scales for 1/4", 1/2", 3/4" and 1 inch to the foot. This side is marked: * RUBERGALL COVENTRY. ST. LONDON *. The back of the protractor has scales dividing the inch into 60, 50, 45, 40, 35, and 30 parts; a line of chords; and a plotting scale with diagonal scales at each end.; One side of the sector has three double scales: sines, running from 10 to 90 degrees; tangents, running from 45 to 75 degrees; and a second tangent scale, running from 10 to 45 degrees. The outer edge of both legs has scales for logarithmic tangents, sines, and numbers. The hinge is marked: Rubergall (/) London.; The other side has a double scale along the fold line for regular polygons, from 12 to 4 sides. Both legs have scales of equal parts, running from 1 to 10 and labeled L; of secants, running from 20 to 75 and labeled S; and of chords, running from 10 to 60 and labeled C. The outer edge has a 9" ruler divided to 1/10" and numbered by ones from 1 to 9. The upper arm has scales labeled In Me [inclined meridian] and Cho [chords] that each run from 10 to 90. The lower arm has scales labeled Lat [latitude], running from 10 to 70; and Hou [hours], running from I to VI. These four scales are associated with making sundials and are characteristic of sectors made in England in the 18th and early 19th centuries. See http://americanhistory.si.edu/collections/object-groups/sectors. Silver inserts protect scale marks where users would frequently set divider points.; Thomas Rubergall was an optician and instrument maker whose workshop operated in London from 1802 to 1854 and was located on Coventry Street from 1805 to 1854. The instruments in this case are likely all original to the set. The Smithsonian acquired this object in 1960.; References: Science Museum Group, "Collections Online – People," http://collectionsonline.nmsi.ac.uk/detail.php?type=related&kv=104654&t=people; Gloria Clifton, Directory of British Scientific Instrument Makers 1550-1851 (London: National Maritime Museum, 1995), 239.
Location: Currently not on view

date made: 1805-1854

maker: Rubergall, Thomas

ID Number: MA.318222
accession number: 233319
catalog number: 318222

This wooden pocket-sized case is covered with black sharkskin. Inside the lid is marked: Allen A. Jones.

Description: This wooden pocket-sized case is covered with black sharkskin. Inside the lid is marked: Allen A. Jones. The set includes: a 3-7/8" brass semicircular protractor; a 4-3/4" ivory sector with a brass hinge; a 4-1/2" ivory plotting scale; 5-1/4" brass and steel dividers with a removable leg and separate pen point and crayon holder (containing a lead pencil whittled down to fit the holder); a 5" brass and steel drawing pen; a 3-5/8" brass and steel drawing compass with pen point; and 4-1/2" brass and steel fixed-point dividers. All of the pieces may be original except for the pencil.; The protractor is divided to single degrees and numbered by tens in both directions from 10 to 170. The plotting scale has diagonal scales at both ends. Above the plotting scale are scales divided to 1/10" and numbered by ones from 1 to 4, and divided to 1/12" and numbered by tens from 10 to 30. The back of the plotting scale has scales dividing the inch into 55, 45, 40, 35, 30, 25, and 20 parts and a line of chords.; One side of the sector has three double scales: sines, running from 10 to 80 degrees; tangents, running from 50 to 75 degrees; and a second tangent scale, running from 10 to 45 degrees. The outer edge of both legs has scales for logarithmic tangents, sines, and numbers. The top edge of the instrument has a scale divided to 1/12" and numbered by tens from 70 to 10.; The other side of the sector has a double scale along the fold line for regular polygons, from 12 to 6 sides. Both legs have scales of equal parts, running from 1 to 10 and labeled L; of secants, running from 40 to 75 and labeled S; and of chords, running from 10 to 60 and labeled C. The outer edge has a scale divided to 1/10" and numbered by ones from 9 to 1. Brass inserts protect points where users would frequently set divider points. The instrument is similar to sectors in the English style made in the mid-19th century. Compare to 1985.0580.06 and MA.333937.; Allen A. Jones, the husband of the donor, used this set in the U.S. Corps of Engineers during World War I and throughout his career as a civil engineer. He inherited the set from an uncle or great-uncle who the family believed had worked as a surveyor in the Chicago area prior to the 1833 founding of that city. The Smithsonian received the set in 1969.; Reference: accession file.
Location: Currently not on view

date made: 19th century

ID Number: MA.333944
accession number: 305772
catalog number: 333944

This wooden pocket case is covered with black sharkskin and lined with yellow paper. The set of brass and steel instruments includes: two drawing pens; a small drawing compass with a pen point; and large dividers with pen point and pencil point attachments.Currently not on view

Description: This wooden pocket case is covered with black sharkskin and lined with yellow paper. The set of brass and steel instruments includes: two drawing pens; a small drawing compass with a pen point; and large dividers with pen point and pencil point attachments.
Location: Currently not on view

date made: 19th century

maker: Keuffel & Esser Co.

ID Number: MA.333924
accession number: 304215
catalog number: 333924

Pocket Cases

Pocket Case of Drawing Instruments Signed Martel

Pocket Case of Drawing Instruments

Pocket Case of Drawing Instruments

Pocket Case of Drawing Instruments

Pocket Case of Architect's Drawing Instruments Signed Rubergall

Pocket Case of Drawing Instruments

Pocket Case of Drawing Instruments