An Improved Form of "Artist's Easel" for Sketching and other Purposes.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 2nd Oct., 1896
Complete Specification Left, 30th June, 1897-Accepted, 2nd Oct., 1897
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Form of "Artist's Easel" for Sketching and other
Purposes.
1, WILLIAM HARBUTT, Art Master Hartley House, Belvedere Bath Somerset,
do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:--
A light wood board of various sizes to suit the regulation sketch books or panels,
is supported in the hand by means of a hollow cylindrical tin handle or shaft at
the back-where it slides into a metal clip at such an angle that the work is kept
at right angles to the sight-whether in standing or sitting. The cylindrical
handle is utilized as a brush case and water bottle, the cup of which can hang at
the side of the board for painting.
The sketch book, block, panel, or loose paper is secured in its place by a spring
clip, tightened by a small thumb screw. At the top of the board is a metal
arrangement to allow the slipping in of the flap of any size or pattern of
japanned water colour box, or of an oil palette.
The whole apparatus is arranged to balance comfortably on the hand, or to be
supported on the lap and gripped by the knees if seated or to be used as a
convenient table easel or desk for working at or for showing drawings.
Dated this First day of October 1896.
WILLIAM HARBUTT.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Form of "Artist's Easel" for Sketching and other
Purposes.
WILLIAM HARBUIT, Art Master Hartley House, Belvedere Bath Somerset
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:
The object of this invention is to enable the artist or student to firmly support
an easel or desk in one hand at a right angle to the vision either when standing
or sitting and to allow of its use upon a table also, it gives accommodation for
attaching any ordinary flap water colour box and water dipper or oil colour palette
without their being specially made for the purpose. It provides for the holding
any ordinary sketch book block or loose panels; or a number of loose sheets of
water colour paper-dry-or damped-can be strained tight upon the easel by
means of a lace without preventing its other use. The expedient of a lace has
been adopted in preferènce to a spring clip with thumb screw as described in
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page_text: the Provisional Specification. The advantage of this method of securing the work
is that sketches can be readilly removed and returned to their place if it is desired
to work further upon them. The handle is a cylindrical metal case combining
both brush case and water bottle and dipper, its base is cut at an angle about 600.
to the axis, to give the necessary slope to the easel when held in the hand, and it
is easilly fixed or unfixed in a metal slide clip at the back.
A flap pocket of cardboard & leather to hold loose sketches and a reserve of
paper, as well as the colour box and handle when not in use buckles over to the
back.
Into the hollow handle the end of an iron pointed stick about 26 inches long is
inserted and the other end rests or fixes in the ground and allows the easel to lie
firmly on the lap at a convenient angle for sight and leaves both hands free for
work in painting, pen & ink sketching or Plasticine modelling.
These various objects are attained by me in the following manner: -
1. A light wooden board A Fig. 1 is made of three fold veneer one quarter of
an inch thick, and French polished to prevent warping when damp paper is to he
stretched upon it. It is of a size to suit the regular dimensions of drawing papers
and forms the body of the easel for supporting the work. At the back a metal
clin B Fig. 1 is attached by screws and has a spring to secure the combination
handle C Fig. 2 a. b. c when slid into it by the projecting flange D Fig. 2 a. b. c.
This forms the handle to be grasped or to receive the stick to support the casel
upon the knees from the floor. A piece of metal E Fig. 1 & 4 slightly blocked
out is fastened on the top edge at back to take the flap of a water colour box or the
oil palette, at the side is a recessed wire to hang the dipper on F, Fig. 1 & 4.
The easel is cut or notched at each of the four corners in the manner indicated
in the drawing G, Fig. 1 & 3 to admit the lace which may be of leather, metal or
cord and which binds the dry or damped paper to the easel for the purpose of
straining it for painting upon.
To hold thick books or block on, a projecting ledge is fixed on the lower edge,
and it only requires the lace to be tightened over them and fastened on the
button H, Fig. 1 & 4. The flap pocket and cover on the left side bends round and
is fastened by a strap J Fig. 4 to the buckle K. Fig. 1.
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
I claim is:-
1st. The use of the detachable projecting handle C Fig. 2, a b c at the back,
consisting of a cylindrical metal case which is used for the twofold purpose of
holding in the hand and for the reception of the stick support to steady the casel
and allow it to lie upon the lap.
2nd. The metal receiver E Fig. 1 at the back to take any existing size or pattern
of flap water colour box or oil colour palette-without requiring special fitting
to it.
3rd. The method of using a lace for straining several sheets of damped_water
colour paper at one time upon the easel, by its being tightened in the notches G
Fig. 1 & 3 cut into the four corners of the casel, and fastened on the button behind.
4th. The combination of the several different parts aforementioned, whether
novel or not into one simple and complete whole calculated to secure greater
efficiency and a saving of weight bulk and time in sketching apparatus.
3000
WILLIAM HARBUTT.