Trippensee Planetarium
name: label: maker
content: Trippensee Manufacturing Co.
notes: label: Description
content: The Laing Co., of Detroit, Mi., manufactured planetariums based on the U.S. patent (#578,108) issued to Alexander Laing in 1897. Frank Trippensee (a Laing employee) and his brothers bought the firm in 1905, and turned the simple string and pulley instrument into one that used a chain drive and gears. That form—for which Frank Trippenssee received patents in the United States (#881,875) and Canada in 1908—proved remarkably successful and remained in production for many years.
label: Description
content: A brass tag on the horizontal arm of this example is marked: “THE TRIPPENSEE PLANETARIUM / PAT. U.S. MAR. 10, 08. CANADA JULY 21, 08 / THE TRIPPENSEE MFG CO. / DETROIT, MICH., U.S.A.” The base is brass as is the Sun. The Earth globe is covered with paper; the signature in the cartouche reads: “The / Trippensee / Mfg. Co. / Detroit, Mich.” Venus is a wooden ball painted black on one side and white on the other.
label: Description
content: Ref: Barry J. Sobel, “The Story of the Orrery and the Trippensee Company,” <i>Rittenhouse</i> 15 (2001): 83-92.
label: Location
content: Currently not on view
place: label: place made
content: United States: Michigan, Detroit
topic: label: Subject
content: Astronomy
setName: label: See more items in
content: Medicine and Science: Physical Sciences
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content: Globes
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content: Measuring & Mapping
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: 1998.0224.01
label: catalog number
content: 1998.0224.01
label: accession number
content: 1998.0224
objectType: label: Object Name
content: planetarium
physicalDescription: label: Physical Description
content: metal (overall material)
label: Measurements
content: overall: 34.6 cm x 18.4 cm x 50.2 cm; 13 5/8 in x 7 1/4 in x 19 3/4 in
label: Measurements
content: overall, mounted: 14 in x 24 in x 10 in; 35.56 cm x 60.96 cm x 25.4 cm