Improvements in Instruments for Assisting Drawing in Perspective.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 13th Mar., 1893
Complete Specification Left, 11th Dec., 1893-Accepted, 27th Jan., 1894
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Instruments for Assisting Drawing in
Perspective.
I, SPENCER VENABLES, of Shrublands, Hoole Road, Chester, in the County of
Chester, Artist, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows,
that is to say :-
This invention has for its object to provide improved instruments to be used in
making drawings in perspective, and which will enable an artist to easily and rapidly
mark or indicate the direction or inclination of lines as they ought to appear in his
drawing.
The instrument as made according to one modification consists of two straight
bars of wood, or ivory, or metal, or ebonite, or other suitable material, or any
combination thereof. One bar termed the vertical bar is made with a weighted
lower end, and is provided at the top with a ring by means of which it can be
suspended so as to hang freely in a vertical position. The other bar which is
horizontal or movable is jointed to the vertical bar so as to be balanced on the
joint. The joint may be stiff so that the movable bar will remain at inclination
at which it may be set; or the joint may be fitted with a clamping screw for fixing
the movable bar in any inclined position.
any
When using the instrument, the vertical bar is held by the artist in front of him
so that one edge of it may cover or optically coincide with a vertical edge or part
of the object he wishes to delineate, and he then sets the movable bar to the
inclination perspectively shown by any other line or part of the object. Then,
without altering the movable bar relatively to the vertical bar or with the movable
bar clamped, the artist transfers the instrument to his drawing and puts in the line
or lines according to it. The lengths of perspective lines are obtainable with
the instrument by setting the movable bar to the inclinations of imaginary
diagonal or other lines passing through the ends of the lines the lengths of which
are sought.
In another modification, a bar is weighted and suspended in a manner to assume
a horizontal position, and a balanced movable bar is jointed to it so as to be
Or two bars each
capable of being set vertically or at any desired inclination.
having a weighted end may be jointed together at their centres of gravity and
either or both may be fitted with suspensory devices for giving a vertical or hori-
zontal position. This modification will form a compact arrangement because of
the comparative shortness of the bars.
Dated this Eleventh day of March 1893.
EDMUND HUNT,
Applicant's Agent.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Instruments for Assisting Drawing in
Perspective.
I, SPENCER VENABLES, of Shrublands, Hoole Road, Chester, in the County
of Chester, Artist, 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, that is to say :-
This invention has for its object to provide improved instruments to be used in

page_text: making drawings in perspective and which will enable an artist to easily and rapidly
mark or indicate the direction or inclination of lines as they ought to appear in his
drawing.
The instrument as made according to one modification consists of two straight
bars of wood, or ivory, or metal, or ebonite, or other suitable material or any
combination thereof. One bar termed the vertical bar is made with a weighted
lower end, and is provided at the top with a ring by means of which it can be
suspended so as to hang freely in a vertical position. The other bar which is
horizontal or movable is jointed to the vertical bar so as to be balanced on the
joint which is fitted with a clamping screw for fixing the movable bar in any
inclined position.
In another modification a bar is weighted and suspended in a manner to assume a
horizontal position, and a balanced movable bar is jointed to it so as to be capable
of being set vertically or at any desired inclination. Or two bars each having a
weighted end may be jointed together at their centres of gravity and either or both
may be fitted with suspensory devices for giving a vertical or horizontal position.
And in order that my said invention and the manner of performing the same may
be properly understood I hereunto append a sheet of explanatory drawings, to be
hereinafter referred to, and showing my improved instrument for assisting drawing
in perspective.
Figures, 1, and, 2, are perspective views illustrating the application of the
instrument in drawing a chair.
Figures, 3, and, 4, are respectively a front and a side elevation of one modification
of the instrument, Figures, 5, and, 6, being similar views of a second modification,
and Figures, 7, and, 8, similar views of a third modification.
In these drawings the same reference letters are used to mark the same or like
parts wherever they are repeated.
The instrument as made according to one modification and as shown in Figures, 1,
2, 3, and, 4, consists of two straight bars, A, and B, of wood or ivory, or metal, or
celluloid, or other suitable material, or any combination thereof. One bar, A,
termed the vertical bar is weighted at its lower end, and is provided at the top with
a ring, C, by means of which it can be suspended so as to hang freely in a vertical
position. The other bar, B, which is movable is jointed to the vertical bar, A, so
as to be balanced on the joint. The joint may be stiff so that the movable bar, B,
will remain at any inclination at which it may be set; but the joint is preferably
fitted with a clamping screw, D, for fixing the movable bar, B, in any inclined
position.
When using the instrument to assist for example, in the drawing of a chair, E,
the vertical bar, A, is held or suspended by the artist in front of him so that one
edge of it may cover or optically coincide with a vertical edge or part of the chair,
as for example the leg, G, and he then sets the movable bär, B, to the inclination
perspectively shown by any other line or part of the chair such as for example the
dotted lines, I, J, or, K, in Figure, 2. Then having clamped the movable bar, B,
by the screw, D, the artist transfers the instrument to his drawing and puts in the
line according to it the vertical bar being made to coincide with a vertical line
primarily put on the drawing to correspond with the vertical part of the chair first
taken. The lengths of perspective lines are obtainable with the instrument by
setting the movable bar, B, to the inclination of imaginary diagonal or other lines
(represented in Figure, 2, by dotted lines) passing through the ends of the lines the
lengths of which are sought.
In another modification shown in Figures, 5, and, 6, a bar, L, is weighted aud
suspended by a cord, M, and ring, C, in a manner to assume a horizontal position,
and a balanced movable bar, N, is jointed to it so as to be capable of being set
vertically or at any desired inclination. This instrument is used similarly to the
one first described, excepting that a horizontal instead of a vertical line is made
the basis of the operation.
In the modification shown in Figures, 7, and 8, two bars, P, and, Q, each having

page_text: a weighted end are jointed together at their centres of gravity and are fitted with
suspensory devices, C, the one, P, being arranged to give a vertical position, and
the other, Q, a horizontal position. This modification will form a compact arrange-
ment because of the comparative shortness of the bars.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is:
The improved instruments for assisting drawing in perspective and consisting of
a pair of bars jointed together and constructed and arranged substantially as
herein before described.
Dated this Ninth day of December 1893
EDMUND HUNT,
Applicant's Agent.