Improvements in Drawing Apparatus.
Year: 1889

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Drawing Apparatus.
I, WILLIAM SWEET WORDEN, residing at Holdrege, in the County of Phelps, State
of Nebraska, United States of America, by occupation, an 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:-
My invention relates to an improvement in apparatus for free hand perspective
drawings and it consists in the peculiar construction and combination of devices
that will be more fully set forth hereinafter and particularly pointed out in the
claims.
0
The object of my invention is to provide a cheap and simple apparatus which is
adapted to be folded into a very small compass and readily transported and by means
of which the art of making free hand perspective drawings may be readily acquired.
In the drawings
Fig. 1 is a perspective view of an apparatus embodying my improvements showing
the same arranged in position ready for use. Fig. 2 is a similar view of the appa-
ratus when detached from the tripod and folded compactly into a small compass and
adapted to be packed in a case.
Fig. 3 is a vertical transverse sectional view of my improved apparatus when
arranged in operative position.
Fig. 4 is a detail perspective view of the tripod-head.
Fig. 5 is a detail view of the case and Fig. 6 a detail view of the locking devices.
A represents a rectangular frame of suitable dimensions, a convenient size being
9 by 16 inches.
B represents a similar frame of the same size, which is arranged on the outer side
of the frame A and has its lower side connected to the lower side of the latter by
means of a pair of hinges C which adapt the frame B to be folded outward and down-
ward from the frame A or to be folded inward and upward against the latter. The
said frame B has on its inner side a groove D which extends around its edges and in
which is adapted to be fitted a glass pane E and a sheet of perforated paper F. When
the frame B is closed against the outer side of frame A, the glass pano and sheet of
paper are clamped firmly in position between the said frames. On the upper side of
the frame A at suitable distances from the ends thereof are secured a pair of spring
catches G which are adapted to engage metallic plates H that are secured to
the frame B at inner sides of notchos I which are made in the upper side of said
frame.
The said notches have their outer ends provided with flared enlargements which
adapt the thumbs or fingers of the operator to be inserted under the ends of
the spring catches to the end that the latter may be caused to disengage the
frame B.
K represents a base board or arm which has its central portion reduced in width
to form a neck L and has its ends enlarged to form heads M N. The former bears
against the lower side of the frame A at the centre thereof and is connected to the
said frame by means of a pair of hinges O which adapt the base board or arm to be
folded upward on the frame.
In the upper side of the arm K near the outer end thereof is a longitudinal recess P
in which is fitted a curved spring detent R the inner end of said spring detent being
secured in the bottom of the recess at the front end thereof by means of screws
and the rear end. of said detent being free and provided with an open loop T for the
purpose to be hereinafter described. U represents an arm or hoard which is preferably
of the same size and shape as the base arni or board K and has one end secured to
the upper side of the frame A at the centre thereof by means of a pair of hinges V
гр.
017

page_text: which hinges adapt the board or arm U to be folded down upon the base board or
arm K.
W represents an U-shaped open frame or bail which is preferably made of a piece
of wire or rod of suitable size bent into the required form and having the upper ends
of its vertical arm X provided with inwardly extending spindles Y which enter
openings Z on opposite sides of the arm or board U at the free end thereof whereby
the said bail or frame is pivoted to the said board or arm and is adapted to be folded
inwardly against the same a pair of right-angled reenforcing plates A¹ which are
made of sheet metal are screwed to the lower side of the arin U and bear against
the side edges thereof at its outer end and have openings which are coincident with
the openings Z and in which the spindles Y of the frame or bail W are journaled,
the function of the said right-angled plates being to prevent wear.
When the board or arm U is extended from the frame A and the lower side of the
bail or open frame W bears against the outer end of the board or arm K and
is engaged by the loop of the detent R the apparatus is arranged in operative
position.
In practice, the forehead of the artist is placed against the concave outer end of
the top arm or board U and with a pencil in the right hand, the landscape or object
seen through the glass and paper is drawn on the latter. The landscape or object is
seen in reduced true perspective and as the eye follows the outline, the pencil need
only follow the eye; thus a true perspective of any object may be quickly obtained
and by altering the distance between the object and apparatus by removing the latter,
the size of the drawing may be increased or decreased as desired.
When one side of the perforated paper has been drawn upon it may be turned
over and the other side utilized as the drawing on one side thereof does not in the
slightest degree interfere with the drawing on the opposite side.
The
paper may be then separated from the frame and if desired the drawing may
be reproduced or enlarged on drawing paper by means of a pantograph or other
suitable means.
In like manner, unskilled persons can readily produce a true perspective drawing
and the eye is trained in this art.
3.
It is essential that light be partly excluded from the face of the perforated drawing
paper when the apparatus is in use and in order to secure this result I provide
substantially V-shaped bail B which is bent from a single piece of wire and has
hooks C at its ends which are adapted to engage screw eyes E¹ in the upper side
of the framo A¹ near the corners thereof.
The bail is thus pivoted to the frame and is adapted to be folded down upon the
upper board or arm U and when thus arranged serves to support a cloth such as are
used by photographers to envelope the head of the artist and the apparatus.
The bail being made of wire and resilient may be readily disengaged from the
screw eyes as will be readily understood.
I will now describe my improved tripod which is adapted to be used to support my
drawing apparatus and by means of which the utility of the latter is very materially
enhanced. a represents a head which is turned from a piece of wood of suitable
kind and has a depending shank 6 and has its upper end forked or bifurcated and
fashioned into a pair of clamping jaws c.
The upper ends of the latter have rounded or convex surfaces d and have vertical
flanges or extensions e on the outer sides of said convex surfaces, f represents a
clamping screw which passes loosely through an opening of the jaws and engage a
threaded opening 9, in the opposite jaw.
The head or outer end of the screw is enlarged to form a handle h which may be
readily grasped by one hand in order to turn the screw.
The shank has vertical flattened surfaces i on three sides arranged at regular
distances apart. k represents tripod legs which are connected to the lower end of the
shank by means of hinges which adapt the tripod legs to be folded together and
hence enable the tripod to be disposed in a comparatively small space.

page_text: The heads of the tripod legs are provided with vertical extensions m which are
beveled on their inner sides as at n, the said beveled sides of the heads being adapted
to bear against the flattened surfaces i of the shank when the tripod legs are adjusted
to the position represented in Fig. 1.
The neck portion L of the base arm or board K of the drawing apparatus is adapted
to fit between the vertical flanges or extensions e of the tripod head and to bear upon
the convex surfaces d of said head. The latter adapt the drawing apparatus to be
tilted to any desired inclination and by turning the screw the jaws of the tripod-head
may be clamped against opposite sides of the board K to secure the drawing apparatus
firmly in position when adjusted and enable the process of tracing the object on the
paper to be proceeded with without fear of the adjustment of the apparatus becoming
deranged.
When the drawing apparatus is removed from the tripod and folded the same is
adapted to be packed in a case z which is illustrated in Fig. 5.
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. In a drawing apparatus, the combination of a main frame, a folding frame
hinged to the lower front edge of the same and having a groove to receive a glass
plate and a drawing sheet, and suitable locking catches and a head-rest hinged to the
upper rear edge of said main frame, substantially as set forth.
2. The combination in a drawing apparatus, of the frame A, the board or arm K
hinged to the lower side thereof the board or arm U hinged to the upper side of the
frame, and the frame or bail W hinged or pivotally connected to the outer end of one
of said boards or arms and adapted to be secured to the other for the purpose set
forth, substantially as described.
3. The combination in a drawing apparatus, of the frame A, the arms or boards
hinged to the lower and upper sides thereof, one of said arms or boards having a
catch or detent, a frame or bail W hinged or pivoted to the other arm or board
and adapted to be engaged by said catch or detent for the purpose set forth substan-
tially as described.
4. The combination in a drawing apparatus, of the frame A, the arm or board K
hinged to the lower side thereof the arm or board U hinged to the upper side of said
frame, the right-angled plates secured on opposite sides of the free end of arm U and
the frame or bail W having the spindles or pintles engaging openings in the right-
angled plates and in the arm U substantially as described.
5. The combination with a drawing apparatus comprising the frames A and W and
the connecting arms between the upper and lower sides thereof, of the bail hinged
or pivoted to the frame A and adapted to fold upon the upper arm for the purpose set
forth, substantially as described.
6. The combination with the drawing apparatus, having the base arm or board K,
of the tripod or support having the clamping arms adapted to engage the said
board, and the screw to compress the said arms or jaws thereon, substantially as
described.
7. The combination with a drawing apparatus having the base board or arm K,
of the tripod or support having the clamping jaws, the latter having their upper ends
rounded or convexed and provided with the vertical extensions or flanges for the
purpose set forth substantially as described.
8. In a drawing apparatus, the combination of the main frame, the clamping frame
hinged thereto, the base board hinged to said main frame, binged frames to support
the main frame in an upright position and the tripod or support having the clamping
arms adapted to engage the said base board, substantially as set forth.
9. The combination with a drawing frame, of a head rest hinged to the upper edge
of said drawing frame and a supporting frame connected pivotally to the free end of
said head rest, substantially as set forth.

page_text: 10. In a drawing apparatus, the front frame carrying the glass plate and drawing
sheet, the top arm or board U, bottom arm or board K and rear end piece W, all of
said parts being hinged or pivoted together so as to fold one upon the other as set
forth.
11. The combination with a drawing frame, of a hinged head rest, a supporting
frame connected pivotally to the free end of the latter and a bail pivoted to the
drawing frame and resting with its free end upon the head rest substantially as set
forth.
12. The combination of the drawing frame, the hinged head rest, the supporting
frame pivoted to the free end of the latter, the hinged base board, a bail pivoted to
the drawing frame and adapted to rest upon the head rest and a tripod having
clamping jaws adapted to engage the base board, substantially as set forth.
Dated this 18th June 1880
BERNHARD DUKES,
226, High Holborn, London, W.C., Agent for the Applicant.
BERNHARD DUKES,
226, High Holborn, London, W.C., Agent for the Applicant.