A Tripod, to Serve as an Artist's Easel or Umbrella Support.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 12th Mar., 1895
Complete Specification Left, 12th Dec., 1895-Accepted, 25th Jan., 1896
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
A Tripod, to Serve as an Artist's Easel or Umbrella Support.
I, TWISDEN WILKINS, of No. 3 Meredith Street, Clerkenwell, London, E.C.
Mechanical Engineer and Maker of Artists' Easels, do hereby declare the nature
of this invention to be as follows:-
A tripod, designed to support an article which I have made for some years
and called a pocket easel. Or to support an artist's umbrella when sketching or
landscape painting. Or to support both the pocket easel and the umbrella at
the same time.
The article called a pocket- easel is a metal clip having a pair of jaws to hold
any sort of picture while being painted or sketched, and a ring, preferably hinged,
by which it can be fastened to a stick. The jaws which hold the picture are hinged
to the ring which clasps the stick so that the picture may be placed at any
inclination. This is intended to be carried in the artist's pocket, and has hitherto
been used by attaching it to a walking stick or longer ground stake which I supply
for the purpose.
An obvious objection to the single stick is that it will only stand without aid when
the artist is working on ground soft enough to be penetrated. The object of my
invention is to supply a support which will stand of itself on any ground.
It is similar to a music stand, with a central pillar or stein, standing on three
legs which are hinged to the bottom of the pillar. The legs each work on a
separate hinge or joint, and, being independent of one another, can be set at
different angles, thus providing against uneven ground, and allowing the central
pillar to lean in any desired direction. This leaning forward or backward is useful
when I attach a drawing board or canvas to the pillar by means of two rings or
clamps, one at the top and the other at the bottom, instead of using the pocket
easel described above. The legs are folded upwards for carrying so that they lie
against the central pillar; thus the length of the article when folded is about half
of its height when in use. I sometimes make it more compact by making the
central pillar hollow and telescopic. The legs can be made telescopic too.
A hook or ring is fixed to the bottom of the central pillar, close to the hinge
joints, which serves the double purpose of a loop for carrying it by and a means of
It is important
attaching a weight or cord to keep the tripod firm when in use.
to have some such means of steadying the tripod, because it is made as light as
possible for carrying about. The best means of attaching a weight is to carry a
bag which can be filled with stones or earth on the spot selected for sketching, and
suspending the bag from the hook.
Instead of using a weight the tripod may be anchored to the ground by one or more
cords from this hook. To facilitate anchoring by guy ropes, I have made a metal
peg something like a corkscrew with a ring handle, which can easily be screwed
into the ground and the line passed through the ring and made taut by runners or
a knot.
With regard to the other use of the tripod, namely, to support an artist's
umbrella, little need be added, as the above description applies to both purposes.
The usual method of supporting an umbrella is by a single ground stake, which is
either the stick of the umbrella made much longer by joints, or a separate stick to
which it can be attached by means of a contrivance called an umbrella holder.

page_text: These holders are made in a great variety of forms, but the essential parts are a
receptacle for the umbrella stick, and a means of attachment to the ground stake.
I substitute the tripod for the ground stake and make the umbrella holders so that
they can be easily attached and detached.
Respecting the third use of the tripod, it is scarcely necessary to add that, on a
calm day, the umbrella may be fixed to the top of the central pillar; and the
picture held lower down by means of the pocket easel, clamps or rings.
The tripod may be made of ordinary timber, of bamboo, or of metal tubes.
The points of the legs should have spikes.
When the stem or legs are made telescopic it is necessary to provide some
contrivance for fastening the inner sliding part at any height which may be
required. There are various methods of doing this. I have contrived a collar, or
band, embracing the end of the outer tube and having holes at its extremities.
A lever is. jointed to these holes by which the band can be tightened or slackened
instantly. The end of the outer tube being slotted, with about three slits, allows it
to be compressed upon the inner one.
Dated this Twelfth day of March 1895.
TWISDEN WILKINS, Mechanical Engineer, of No. 3 Meredith Street, in the Parish
of Clerkenwell, London, E.C., do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in
what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement :-
A tripod, designed to support an article which I have made for some years and
called a pocket easel. Or, secondly, to support an artist's umbrella, when sketching
or landscape painting. Or, thirdly, to support both the pocket easel, and the umbrella,
at the same time.
The article called a pocket easel is represented by Fig. 5 on the accompanying
sheet of drawings. It is a metal clip, having a pair of jaws, A and B, to hold any
sort of picture while being painted or sketched; and a ring C, preferably hinged,
as shown, by which it can be fastened to a stick. The jaws A and B are hinged to
the ring by the bolt D, so that the picture may be placed at any inclination, and
fixed by the wing nut E. This is intended to be carried in the artist's pocket, and
has hitherto been used by attaching it to a walking stick, or to a longer ground
stake which I supply for the purpose. An obvious objection to the single stick is
that it will only stand without aid when the artist is working on ground soft
enough to be penetrated. The object of my invention is to supply a support which
will stand of itself on any ground.
Fig. 1 shows the tripod and pocket easel combined being used as an artist's easel.
It will be seen that the tripod has a central pillar, or stem, standing on three legs
which are hinged to the bottom of the pillar. The legs each work on a separate
hinge or joint. The meaus by which this is effected are shown by the enlarged
views Figs. 2 and 3. Fig. 2 is a metal socket or tube having three wings. And
Fig. 3 is the end of one of the legs, slotted so as to fit on the wings of Fig. 2.
A piece of wire, or a bolt, is passed through the leg and wing; and any desired
degree of tightness may be given to the joint by riveting the wire, or screwing up
the bolt. The legs, by working independently of one another, can be placed at
different angles, thus providing against uneven ground, or allowing the central
pillar to lean in any desired direction. This leaning forward or backward is useful
when I attach a drawing board, water colour block, or canvas, to the central pillar
by means of two rings or clamps, one at the top and the other at the bottom,

page_text: instead of using the pocket easel described above. One of these rings
shown by
Fig. 4; the screw of which, is screwed into the back of the drawing board, or
stretcher. The rings are passed over the central pillar, and held in any desired
position by the binding screw G. The clamps are not illustrated. They pinch the
picture against the tripod, instead of having screws to screw into the back.
The legs of the tripod are folded upwards for carrying, so that they lie against
the central, pillar: thus the length of the article when folded is about half of its
height when in use. I sometimes make it more compact by making the central
pillar hollow and telescopic. The legs can be made telescopic too.
A hook will be seen on Fig. 1, attached to the bottom of the pillar. This serves
the double purpose of a loop tor carrying it by, and a means of attaching a weight,
or cord, to keep the tripod firm when in use. It is important to have some such
means of steadying the tripod because it is made as light as possible for carrying
about. The best means of attaching a weight, is to carry a bag, which can be
filled with stones or earth on the spot selected for sketching, and suspended from
the hook. Instead of using a weight, the tripod may be anchored to the ground by
one or more cords from this hook. To facilitate anchoring by guy ropes, I have
made a metal screw peg, illustrated by Fig. 9, which can easily be screwed into the
ground, and a line passed through the ring and made taut by a runner or a knot.
With regard to the second use of the tripod, namely, to support an artist's
umbrella, little need be added, as much of the above description applies to both
purposes. The usual method of supporting an umbrella is by a single ground
stake, which is either the stick of the umbrella made much longer by joints; or a
separate stick to which it can be fastened by a contrivance called an umbrella
bolder. These holders are made in a great variety of forms, but the essential parts
are a receptacle for the umbrella stick, and a means of attachment to the ground
stake. A simple form is shown by Fig. 8, which consists of two similar halves,
held together by two bolts and wing nuts. The umbrella stick is put into one hole,
and the ground stake into the other hole; then the wing nuts are tightened
sufficiently to pinch both and hold them together. Some other forms are made to
swivel, so that the umbrella may be inclined at an angle. I substitute the tripod
for the ground stake.
Respecting the third use of the tripod, namely, to support a pocket easel and an
umbrella at the same time, it is evident that, on a calm day, the umbrella
may be fastened to the top of the central pillar, and the picture held lower down
by means of the pocket easel, clamps or rings.
The tripod may be made of ordinary timber, of bamboo, or of metal tubes. The
points of the legs should have spikes, to enter the ground. When the stem, or
legs, are made telescopic it is necessary to provide some contrivance for fastening
the inner sliding part at any height which may be required. There are various
methods of doing this. I have contrived a collar, or band, as shown by Fig. 6
(plan) and Fig. 7 (elevation). H is the band or collar, which encircles the outer
tube or piece of bamboo, and is fastened to it by means of the rivet I. The band
has an opening wide enough to admit the lever K. K is hinged to the collar by
means of the wire rivet. It will be observed that the end of the lever K is
eccentric, and acts as a wedge when the lever is raised or lowered. When it is
depressed, as at K', the outer tube is compressed upon the inner slide, holding it
securely. But when it is raised, as at K, or higher, the band is relaxed and the
inner slide is liberated. The outer tube is slotted with about three slots to allow
of this compression. And a metal tongue is fastened to the bamboo to take the
wear of the end of the lever.
Two or three minor contrivances for keeping the picture and tripod steady and
firm may be mentioned. First ;-the bottoni edge of the picture Fig. 1, may be
held by an ordinary "picture tilter." Secondly ;-when the tripod is used indoors
it may be weighted by heavy ferrules, or their equivalents, at the bottoms of
the legs.
Thirdly When used indoors, or on hard slippery ground, such as rocks, the

page_text: "
legs may be prevented from slipping about by having a piece of string tied round
them about half way up. And it is best to make three loops in this circle of string
for the legs to be threaded through.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed; I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. The combined tripod and pocket easel, as herein described.
2. The combined tripod and clamps or rings for holding the picture, as herein
.described.
3. A combined tripod and umbrella holder, as herein described.
4. The combination of the three parts, namely, tripod; pocket easel, clamps, or
rings; and umbrella holder, as herein described.
Dated this 12th day of December 1895.
TWISDEN WILKINS.