Thomas Redmayne from Sheffield, York, England, received a British patent for an improved school desk. Patent no. 169478 was issued on November 2, 1875.
This is a partial model, consisting of a dark wooden rectangular plank with metal screws and two brackets that are connected by three screws, and there is a metal circular piece on each end. The desk was made of dark wood and designed to be adjustable. A wheel mechanism was used for adjusting and altering the angle of the desktop. Lying flat, it formed a table; reclined, it formed a desk, and placed in a vertical position, it served as a seat back.
We are not aware of any additional information about the inventor/patentee.
William Blackburn from Manchester, Great Britain, received a British patent for an improved school desk. Patent no. 127839 was issued on June 11, 1872.
This desk is made of a combination of wood and iron and can be used as a desk or a table. The adjustable design allowed the desk to be used in schools or places of assembly. The desks adjust with the use of metal hinges. The backrest is made up of slats that do not connect for lower back support, is made of darker wood than the seat, and is polished. The desk sits on a metal base of two long feet that connect each side’s back and front.
We are not aware of any additional information about the inventor/patentee.
David Francis from Birckenhead, Chester, England, first received a British patent for an improved desk and seat on June 27, 1873 and then received an American patent, no.155231, which was issued on September 22, 1874.
This model is a combination of black cast iron and wood. The cast iron has circular designs, while the seat and backrest are flat and create a 90-degree angle with no curves for body comfort. The desktop reads, "Lift the top to unlock it - Francis's patent." There is no lower back seat support because there is a gap between the backrest and seat. The seat itself has no curves for body comfort or support. There are also black tacks bolted from the wooden seat onto an iron-based support system. The backrest folds up towards the desktop. Francis advertised the full sized production version of this desk.
David Francis was born in Somerset, England ca 1830. He worked as a carpenter/joiner in England, and died in Kenilworth, England on July 9, 1902.
John Glendenning from Norwich, England, received a British patent for an improved school desk. Patent no. 224171 was issued on February 3, 1880.
This model is made of wood and metal and is painted a bluish gray color. His patent connects the desk and chair together at the bottom by a metal pole base. The desk is welded in front of the chair. The chair curves, gives back and seat support, and is narrow to fit only one person. The desktop can be lifted or folded. It had a metal monobloc desk stem and chair stem that connect on the ground. The seat is curved; however there is no lower back support. A metal rod connects the seat and rest. The desk faces the chair and has two boards that fold to create a longer desktop at the decline. There is a crevice for pencils and inkwell.
We are not aware of any additional information about the inventor/patentee.
This is a framed retirement certificate presented to a Miss Bruce, Headmistress, by the Dunlop School Board, dated June 6, 1899. The documen, written in very legible script, praises this well loved teacher who resigned due to ill health. It was presented to her by the local school board, representing the community, and is effusive with praise of her devotion to students and skill as a teacher. It is richly decorated with intricate, multi-colored floral illustrations in the margin and mounted in a gold-toned wooden frame. We do not know the particulars of the Dunlop school, but the inscription at the bottom appears to be that of the printer or peson responsible for the creation of the commendation, C.H. Mailer with the place as Blairgowrie, which is in Scotland.
This wood hornbook features a piece of paper that depicts the alphabet and numbers 0-9 and is covered by a cracked piece of thin mica. This hornbook was most likely created in England based on the mica used to cover the text page A leather strip is attached around the edges with metal nails. The object has a handle with a drilled hole on the end, probably used to attach a string or thong for a small child. The back of the hornbook is inscribed with “C.E. 7 Jan. 3 1591”.
A 1794 stipple engraving of a scene in a Dame school, in which an older woman, frequently a widow, holds class for other people’s young children out of her own house. Dame schools were common in Great Britain and New England during the 18th Century and into the early 19th Century but frequently provided only limited academics.
“The School Mistress” depicts a teacher reading to a girl casually standing next to her, while the rest of the class busies themselves off to the side. It is a domestic scene, with dishes visible in a pantry and a cat seated amid everyone.
The title is printed below the image, along with nine rhyming lines that describe the scene. The engraver is identified as J. Coles (maybe John Coles). The printer is Thomas Macklin (1752/3-1800), a successful, print seller, publisher, and patron of the arts of Fleet Street, London. Both the scene and the verses are from William Shenstone’s 1742 poem, “The School Mistress,” and this probably an example from Macklin's Poet’s Gallery project. The print is a copy of an original painting by English artist, Francis Wheatley (1747-1801).
This 1895 chromolithographed color book illustration is entitled “A Difficult Sum.” It depicts an older boy helping a younger boy with an arithmetic problem. They are sitting together on a school bench and holding a slate. Behind them is an open window looking onto a green landscape. There are several books strewn on the floor and an apple on the bench. On the back of this page is an image of a seaside cottage along with a poem.
The British artist who created the original illustration in 1892 was Harriet M. Bennett, a watercolor painter and illustrator of children’s books, who specialized in 18th and 19th century figure subjects of children in idealized rural settings. She worked at Forest Hill, London, and exhibited many paintings at The Royal Academy between 1877 and 1892.
The printer was Ernest Nister of London and Germany. It was published by E.P. Dutton of New York City in 1895.