Pantograph Sold by the Frederick Post Company, Model 1495
date: label: date made
content: 1903-1922
notes: label: Description
content: A pantograph is an instrument used to duplicate drawings, at different scales if need be. This example consists of four wooden arms held together with pins and a screw-eye with a wooden anchor support under one arm. Two metal screw-eyes are placed in holes which are numbered from 1 to 10. There is a tracer point in one arm, but there no longer is a pencil point.
label: Description
content: A mark stamped on one of the wooden bars reads: 1495 (/) POSTS. Below this is stamped an image of an eagle clutching a shield that is stamped P. This trademark appeared on the first page of the Frederick Post Company Catalog in 1903. By 1921, another trademark was used.
label: Description
content: The pantograph is number 1495 in the catalog of The Frederick Post Company. The company was started by Frederick Post (1862-1936), a native of Hamburg who emigrated to the United States in 1885 and soon settled in Chicago. By the time of the 1900 U.S. Census, he was a manufacturer of artist's materials there. Post imported drawing instruments and slide rules as well as manufacturing them. Whether his firm made this pantograph is not known.
label: Description
content: The instrument is from the estate of the American inventor of tabulating machines Herman Hollerith, Jr. In 1889, Hollerith introduced a device for punching cards for tabulating machines that was called a pantograph card punch. This pantograph dates from after that invention.
label: Description
content: For information about the pantograph card punch, see MA.312896.
label: Description
content: References:
label: Description
content: U. S. Census 1900, 1910, 1920, 1930.
label: Description
content: Catalogs of the Frederick Post Company.
label: Location
content: Currently not on view
place: label: place made
content: United States: Illinois, Chicago
topic: label: Subject
content: Mathematics
setName: label: See more items in
content: Medicine and Science: Mathematics
label: See more items in
content: Pantographs
label: See more items in
content: Science & Mathematics
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: Gift of the Estate of Herman Hollerith, Jr.
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: 1977.0114.04
label: accession number
content: 1977.0114
label: catalog number
content: 335636
objectType: label: Object Name
content: Pantograph
physicalDescription: label: Physical Description
content: wood (arms material)
label: Physical Description
content: metal (pins material)
label: Measurements
content: overall: 2.8 cm x 43.7 cm x 3.3 cm; 1 3/32 in x 17 7/32 in x 1 5/16 in