Improvements in Easels for Sketching and the Studio, Making them Readily Portable and able to Hold the Picture Firmly at any Required Angle or Height.
Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application, 13th Apr., 1898
Complete Specification Left, 14th Dec., 1898-Accepted, 18th Feb., 1899
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Easels for Sketching and the Studio, Making them
Readily Portable and able to Hold the Picture Firmly at any
Required Angle or Height.
I, THOMAS EDWARD HEATH, of 53, Park Place, Cardiff, Manager of the Star
Patent Fuel Co. Ltd., do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
The easel consists of a body to the front of which are bolted or hinged two
legs and projecting from the back of which is a tail (or third leg).
On each side of the body is an arm. A bolt passes through the two arms, the
body and the tail. In the sketching easel the legs and tail should be made tele-
scopic, so that their length can be adjusted to the level of the ground and, when
in use, they project outwards and downwards from the body, which is supported
by them at a height of about two or three feet from the ground. In the studio
easel it is unnecessary to make the legs telescopic and they extend horizontally
from the body and I attach casters to them. The studio casel may however be
advantageously used for large pictures out of doors and in that casc attachments
can be bolted to the legs to adjust them to the level of the ground. In the
studio easel the body is near the ground and I prefer to have the two arms each
about six feet long and the legs and tail about one and a half
to two feet long, but in the sketching easel the arms are preferably
about three feet long and the legs and tail the same length when closed and
about four and a half feet when fully open.
To set the easel up the legs and tail are adjusted to the ground level and spread
out as widely as convenient and the arms are adjusted to any desired angle (They
may be vertical or inclining backwards or forwards and in the sketching easel
they may even be horizontal; in the studio easel I provide stops which prevent
them being inclined backwards or forwards more than is safe when a heavy
picture frame is in the easel.)
By tightening suitable bolts and nuts the legs, tail and arms are all held firmly
to the body in the desired positions.
To close the easel the bolts and nuts are slackened and the arms, legs and tail
brought together parallel to each other.
I have a hand or hands for holding the picture which slide up and down in
front of the arms and can be secured to them at any convenient height. In the
sketching easel the hands are preferably aluminium castings of suitable shape
with tightening screws by which they can be secured to the arms and other
tightening screws by which they grasp the picture; there being one hand at the
top and another at the bottom of the picture, but it is very often unnecessary to
use the upper hand. In the studio easel I prefer to make the lower hand into a
long box with ridges along the top at the front and at the back to hold the picture.

page_text: This box, which is convenient for holding paints, brushes etc., extends at right
angles to the arms and is supported by a bracket which projects through the
middle of it from the bottom of a telescopic arrangement which slides up and
down in suitable guides between the arms.
This telescopic arrangement when fully open should be long enough to take
the highest picture which the artist is likely to paint; there are tightening
screws for fixing it at any convenient length. The upper hand slides up and down
a long slot in the telescopic arrangement and when it has been pressed down on
the top of the picture it is secured by tightening a nut.
The whole of the telescopic arrangement with the hands grasping the picture
can be raised or lowered together by a winch which winds up a rope that passes
over a roller attached to the upper part of the arms.
This winch turns in bearings at either end of the bracket which projects
through the lower hand (the long box) so that the winch handle turns in front
of the lower hand.
I have a rack round the bearing and a pin. which passes through a hole drilled
in the crank of the winch handle and is pressed by a spring into the rack but
can be raised by a lever when it is desired to turn the handle.
I prefer to bolt the legs of the sketching easel to the body but to attach those
of the studio easel by hinges and to have two boards one of which is placed above
the legs and body & the other below and drawn together by a bolt so as to hold
the legs and body very firmly in the desired position. The upper board makes a
convenient footstep and serves as a stop to prevent the arms inclining too far
forward, and when the easel is folded up the two boards and the bolt are useful
for keeping the legs and tail between the arms.
When the studio easel is folded up the winch handle is removed and the long
box which forms the lower hand can then be removed from the bracket and placed
front downwards against the arms between the bracket and the upper hand. The
studio easel can then be strapped into a parcel about six feet nine inches by
nine inches by six inches. The sketching easel folds into a package about three
feet two inches by four inches by three inches.
Dated this 12th day of April 1898.
Improvements in Easels for Sketching and the Studio, Making them
Readily Portable, and able to Hold the Picture Firmly at any
Required Angle or Height.
I, THOMAS EDWARD HEATH, of 53, Park Place, Cardiff, South Wales, Manager
of the Star Patent Fuel Company Limited 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:-
My invention has for its object to provide easels which are simple in construc-
tion easy of manipulation and efficient in use and which can when desired be
folded into a small compass. I will describe my invention with reference to the
accompanying drawings."
Figure 1 represents the sketching easel opened out ready for use,
Figure 2 represents the same easel folded up..
.
Figure 3 represents
a studio easel, suitable for pictures which are light enough to
be easily
lifted by hand. The said easel is shewn opened out ready to use, Figure repre-

page_text: sents the same easel folded up.
easel.
This easel is hereinafter called the student's
Figure 5 is a front elevation and Figure 6 is a side elevation of a studio easel
suitable for pictures of moderate size but which may be too heavy to be easily
lifted by hand. This easel is hereinafter called the studio easel.
Figure 7 represents a studio easel suitable for the largest and heaviest class of
easel pictures. This easel is hereafter called the large studio easel.
Figure 8 is an enlarged view of the lower hand or holding device and Figure 9
an enlarged view of the body of the sketching easel shewn in Figure 1.
Figure 10 is an enlarged section shewing the winch, and parts adjacent thereto,
of the studio easel shewn in Figure 6.
Figure 11 represents a portion of the large studio easel shewn in Figure 7;
the lower holding device and the upper part of the telescopic arrangement being
removed so as to display the winch, drum and sheaves.
Figure 12 is an enlarged view of a body or fulcrum suitable for the student's
easel (Figure 3) which can be bolted to a plate attached to the floor.
Figure 13 (on Sheet 3) represents drawn to a smaller scale a body or fulcrum
which is suitable for the studio easel (Figures 5 and 6) and which can be bolted
to a plate attached to a trolley running on rails.
The easel has a fulcrum piece A which I term the body. To the front of this
body are bolted or hinged two legs B and projecting from a recess in the back of
the said body is a third leg or tail C. On each side of the body A is an arm 1).
A screw bolt E passes through the two arms D, the body A and the tail C, the
said bolt being provided with a fly nut by which the arms and tail piece can be
secured in the position to which they have been adjusted. In the sketching case!,
Figure 1, the legs B and the tail C should be made telescopic, so that their length
can be adjusted according to the level of the ground or the height of the user
and, when in use, they project outwards and downwards from the body A form-
ing a tripod. In the studio easel and in the students easel it is unnecessary to
make the legs telescopic and in the studio easel I may attach castors to the said
legs. In the sketching easel the legs when closed are preferably about the same
length as the arms.
To set the easel up the legs B and tail Care adjusted to the ground level and
spread out as widely as convenient (the body A being in the sketching easel
raised to a convenient height by expanding the telescopic legs) and the arms
which swing radially round the bolt E to the extent shewn by the dotted arc,
are adjusted to any desired angle and then the screw nut on the bolt E is
tightened up.
To close the easel the nut is slackened and the arms D the legs B and the
tail Care brought parallel to each other so as to occupy but a small bundle.
The devices for holding the canvas or picture I call hands. They are arranged
so that they can be slidden up and down in front of the arms and can be
secured to them at any convenient height.
In the sketching easel the hands are preferably aluminium castings in two
parts capable of being forced towards each other by a screw bolt and nut. The
part may be termed the palm of the hand and the part F1 the thumb as it
grasps the picture between itself and the part F when the nut F2 is tightened on
its screw. The device is clamped to the arms D by means of a screw projection
from a back plate through the part F and there furnished with a fly nut F³.
There may be a similar (but reversed) hand or holding device at the top also of
the picture but it is very often unnecessary to use such an upper hand and it can
be replaced by a hook G which passes over the top of the picture and slides up
and down upon a strap G which buckles round the arms.
If the picture be too big to go on the arms D the lower part of it may rest on
ordinary sketching pegs which fit in holes bored in the legs B as shewn in
Figure 1. The hook G or the reversed hand F holding the top of the picture.

page_text: In the studio easel Figures 5 and 6 and in the students easel Figures 3 and 4,
prefer to make the lower hand into a long box (or shelves) H which may have
ridges along the top at the front and back to hold the picture, or a ridge at the
back and an inclined top as shewn in the drawings.
This box which is convenient for holding paints brushes and the like extends at
right angles to the arms D and is supported by a bracket capable of sliding up
and down and of being fixed in its adjusted position and is in the studio easel,
preferably a metal bush (as shewn clearly at J in Figure 10) which is screwed
at one end and has a nut J¹ running thereon. The bracket J projects through a
hole in the middle of the back of the box H and is secured by a flange to the lower
part of a telescopic arrangement K which slides up and down the arms D on
guides K. In the students easel which is not intended for heavy pictures, it is
unnecessary to use a brass bush but a simple bolt and nut L, (see Figure 3) will
suffice to connect the box H in the bottom of the telescopic arrangement K and
clamp both to the arms D when the picture has been adjusted.
In both the studio and students easels the box H has guides H¹ on which it
slides up and down the arms. The upper part of the telescopic arrangement K³
also slides up and down the arms on guides K³.
This telescopic arrangement when fully open should be long enough to take the
highest picture or canvas which the easel is to hold.
In the studio easel there is a tightening screw M for fixing it at any convenient
length but in the students casel I prefer to use a spring N which is pulled down
by a cord N and secured by a cleat N2 to the bottom of the box H.
The upper hand or bracket O slides up and down a long slot in the telescopic
arrangement and when it has been pushed down on the top of the picture it is
secured by tightening a nut 01
The whole of the telescopic arrangement with the hands H and grasping the
picture can be raised or lowered together. In the students casel this can be done
by hand but in the studio casel I prefer to have a winch P (see also Figure 10)
which winds up a rope (P) in Figure 6 that passes over a roller P attached to
the upper part of the arms D. The axis of this winch turns in bearings at either
end of the bracket J, the said axis projecting through the lower hand (the box) H
so that the winch handle P3 can be secured thereto in front of the said box H.
I make a rack P4 round the bearing and the nose of the lever P5 which nose passes
through a hole in the crank of the winch handle and is pressed by the spring P
into the rack but can be raised by pressing the other end of the lever when it is
desired to turn the handle.
'
The notches in the rack should be so placed that there are none on the top and
therefore the handle cannot stop over the front of the picture.
When the studio easel is folded up the winch handle P3 is removed and the
nut Junscrewed and the box H can then be removed from the bracket J and
placed front downwards against the arms between the bracket J and the upper
hand O. In the students easel I prefer simply to slacken the nut L so as to lift
the guides H¹ above the arms and then swing the box round over the arms, and
this plan may be adopted with the studio easel.
With the large studio easel shewn in Figure 7 the long box is not made to
revolve as it is practically the same width as the distance between the outsides
of the arms D. For very large and heavy pictures I prefer to have the arms D
a considerable distance apart to give stability and in this case the body A may
consist of two blocks, or bearings, which are bolted on a frame, or base R which
may run upon four castors; similarly to the base generally used for large studio
easels. For heavy pictures it will be unsafe to alter the angle of the arms D
by hand so that I regulate their inclination by means of a screw S which works
in bearings S¹ and traverses a nut T having a projection which engages in a
recess Vin a bar which stretches across between the two arms D and is secured
thereto. The length of the screw S and the nut T are such that the inclination

page_text: of the arms D can never be greater than is safe for the largest pictures at its
greatest elevation. I prefer making the large studio easel as a double one as
shewn, so as to carry two pictures when required as it adds very little to the
cost. The winch ropes and sheaves are between the two long boxes (see Figure 11)
and the shaft is carried through so that the handle can be attached to, and worked
from, either side.
There may be other cases where it is preferable not to use a tripod for support-
ing the body A for example the legs of the sketching easel Figure 1, may be
taken off and the body A be clamped to a table, or when the students easel
Figure 3 is used for large classes where the studio floor is marked out in num-
bered squares from which the students are expected to paint, I prefer to use a
body A as shewn in Figure 12. To the floor of the studio I attach plates W
(which may be let in flush with the surface) in suitable positions about the studio.
These plates are numbered and the master will allot to each student a particular
numbered plate for each pose. The body A is secured by the bolt and nut X
to the plate W and will swivel round when required and can be then fixed in
position by the nut.
When the studio easel Figures 5 and 6 is mainly used for portrait painting and
the like I prefer (see Figure 13) to have the body A bolted to a plate W by a
bolt X on which it will swivel (in the same way as does the body of the students
easel shewn in Figure 12) but instead of screwing the plate W to the studio floor
I screw it to a trolley Y which runs upon rails Z (the rails may be a wooden frame
work which can be easily moved about the studio on castors). The rails Z are
set at a sufficient inclination to cause the trolley to run towards the artist but
when he presses a pedal Z he pulls a cord 2 which winds a small pulley 73 and
causes the larger pulley to pull back the trolley by the cord 7. By turning
the screw Z the trolley is held at any-required point. There are two boards Y
attached to the trolley Y which slide in a slot below the rails to serve as stops
and to prevent the trolley from tilting.
The students easel is shewn folded up in Figure 4. The studio easel when
folded appears similar thereto but is of course larger. The sketching easel is
shewn folded up in Figure 2. To pack up the large studio easel the bolt E is
removed and the arms laid down over the base R with the upper and lower hands
or picture-holding devices grasping the ends of the base. The screw S and its
bearings S project upwards between the rods of the telescopic arrangement K².
The bolt E may be passed through the holes in the arms to hold all secure.
In proportion to its size the large studio easel will then be as compactly packed
as the others and much more portable than is an ordinary studio easel of the same
size.
I sometimes find it useful to attach an intermediate hand or bracket Q (Figure 3)
to adapt the easel to take two pictures one above the other, and in some cases the
frame may be so arranged, and the stem, to which the upper hand is attached,
may be made long enough to enable the said hand to be raised some distance
above the telescopic arrangement K2 (See 03 Figure 7) in which case the said
stem will require a tightening screw at the bottom as well as one at the top.
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. A tripod, or stand, carrying a body having a part, or arms (for carrying the
picture, canvas, or the like,) hinged, or pivotted, thereto, so as to be capable of
being adjusted to a vertical, or forward, or backward, angle; and means for
securing the said part, or arms, in the adjusted position; substantially as herein-
before described.
2. A tripod, or stand, carrying a body having a part, or arms, hinged, or
pivotted, thereto, so as to be capable of being adjusted to a vertical, or forward,
or backward, angle; and means for securing the said part, or arms, in the adjusted

page_text: position, and clamps, hands, or the like, carried by the said part,..or arms, to
grasp the picture canvas, or the like; substantially as herein before described.
3. In easels an arrangement for raising and lowering devices for holding the
picture, -canvas, or' the like, and for securing the said devices-in position; sub-
stantially as hereinbefore described and shewn, more particularly, in Figure 10
of the accompanying drawings.
Bated this 14th dii of December 1898
JOHNSONS & WILLCOX,
47, Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, W.C., Agents.