Keuffel & Esser Wallet Case of Drawing Instruments
date: label: date made
content: 1901-1906
name: label: maker
content: Keuffel & Esser Co.
notes: label: Description
content: This black leather wallet case is lined with green velvet and closes with two metal snaps. The front lower left corner is marked: 437. A white celluloid plate inside the case is marked: KEUFFEL & ESSER CO. (/) NEW YORK, (/) ST. LOUIS, CHICAGO (/) SAN FRANCISCO. The case contains:
label: Description
content: 1) 5" and 4-3/8" metal drawing pens marked on their handles: PARAGON (/) 437. The points are marked: K&E C<u>o</u>.
label: Description
content: 2) 2" cylindrical metal case with three needle points wrapped in tissue paper.
label: Description
content: 3) 6-3/4" German silver drawing compass with bendable legs and removable pencil point, lengthening bar, and pen point. The pieces are all marked: 437. The compass is also marked inside one leg: KEUFFEL & ESSER Co. N.Y. (/) PARAGON. Inside the other leg is marked: PAT. MARCH 14 & 28 93 (/) GERMANY.
label: Description
content: 4) 3-7/8" German silver and steel bow pen and bow pencil.
label: Description
content: 5) 5-1/2" German silver, steel, and ebony railroad pen marked: 437 GERMANY. One blade is marked: K&ECO.
label: Description
content: 6) 4-3/4" German silver, steel, and ebony curve pen marked: 437 GERMANY. The point is marked: K&E Co.
label: Description
content: 7) 6-1/4" steel semicircular protractor, divided to single degrees and numbered by tens in both directions from 10 to 170.
label: Description
content: The set appears to be missing a pair of bow dividers, a drawing pen, and a joint tightener. From at least 1890 to 1921, Keuffel & Esser sold a pair of proportional dividers as model number 437. No sets of drawing instruments had this model number, nor is a set exactly like this one shown in K&E catalogs. The number 437 on this set may therefore be a serial number, and the set may have been special-ordered for the institution that distributed it. K&E introduced the Paragon line of drawing instruments in 1901.
label: Description
content: According to the donor, Alfred John Betcher (1887–1971) used this set of drawing instruments while he was a student at the University of Minnesota in 1906. He transferred to West Point in 1907 and graduated in 1911. He served in the Philippines, Texas, New York, France, Vermont, and Kentucky. He retired in 1939 at the rank of Lieutenant-Colonel. In 1940 he was elected mayor of Canajoharie, N.Y.
label: Description
content: References: George W. Cullum, <i>Biographical Register of the Officers and Graduates of the U.S. Military Academy</i>, supp. vol. VI-B, ed. Wirt Robinson (Saginaw, Mich., 1920), 1532; accession file.
label: Location
content: Currently not on view
place: label: place made
content: Germany
topic: label: Subject
content: Mathematics
label: Subject
content: Drafting, Engineering
setName: label: See more items in
content: Medicine and Science: Mathematics
label: See more items in
content: Science & Mathematics
label: See more items in
content: Drawing Instruments
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: Gift of John A. Betcher
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: 1982.0386.01
label: accession number
content: 1982.0386
label: catalog number
content: 1982.0386.01
objectType: label: Object Name
content: drawing instruments, set of
physicalDescription: label: Physical Description
content: leather (overall material)
label: Physical Description
content: fabric (overall material)
label: Physical Description
content: german silver (overall material)
label: Physical Description
content: steel (overall material)
label: Physical Description
content: wood (overall material)
label: Measurements
content: overall: 2.8 cm x 25.3 cm x 12 cm; 1 1/8 in x 9 15/16 in x 4 3/4 in