Set of Drawing Instruments
date: label: date made
content: late 19th century
notes: label: Description
content: This wooden case has an inlay for a label on its top, but the inlay is not marked. The lock is broken. The case is lined with blue paper and velvet. A compartment inside the lid has space for a transparent plastic protractor, divided to single degrees and numbered by tens from 0 to 180. (Due to the deterioration of the plastic, the protractor is stored separately.) The bottom of the case, underneath a tray of drawing instruments, contains: a 5-1/8" German silver and steel drawing pen with ivory handle; a 5-1/2" ebony triangle with corners marked 45, 45, and 90; and a 6-1/2" wooden rule.
label: Description
content: One side of the rule has four scales, divided to roughly: 1/4", numbered by ones from 1 to 19; 3/4", numbered by ones from 6 to 1; 1/2", numbered by ones from 1 to 9; and 1", numbered by ones from 4 to 1. The ends of the scales have unusual diagonal scales for 1/4", 1/2", 3/4", and 1". The other side has a scale of chords and scales dividing the inch into 60, 50, 45, 40, 35, and 30 parts.
label: Description
content: The tray contains: 6-1/2" brass and steel drawing pen with ebony handle; 6-1/2" brass compass with pencil point and removable leg; extension bar, divider point, and pen point for the compass; 2-3/8" steel pencil, pen, and divider points for a small compass not included in the set; 2-1/8" brass and steel drawing pen; and 3" brass and steel bow pen. None of the instruments are signed.
label: Description
content: A pen wipe cloth, cake of ink, cylindrical wooden case holding seven pencil leads, and rubber were also received with the set. The rubber is marked: NEWMAN'S (/) PURPLE LAKE (/) SOHO SQUARE. The cloth is signed by Charles M. Higgins, an inventor and manufacturer of inks and pens from Brooklyn, N.Y.
label: Description
content: The set was owned by the donor's grandfather, Frederick Dawson Thorns (1830–1911). He worked in an ironmonger's shop in England before moving in 1855 to Brooklyn, N.Y., where he held various jobs before operating a restaurant, opening an auction house, and selling real estate. He moved to Asheboro, N.C., to live with one of his daughters in the late 19th century.
label: Description
content: Reference: 1910 U.S. Census records; accession file.
label: Location
content: Currently not on view
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 Beatrice Bulla
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: MA.334622
label: accession number
content: 308964
label: catalog number
content: 334622
objectType: label: Object Name
content: drawing instruments, set of
physicalDescription: label: Physical Description
content: wood (overall material)
label: Physical Description
content: paper (overall material)
label: Physical Description
content: fabric (overall material)
label: Physical Description
content: plastic (overall material)
label: Physical Description
content: brass (overall material)
label: Physical Description
content: steel (overall material)
label: Physical Description
content: ivory (overall material)
label: Measurements
content: overall: 3.9 cm x 20.5 cm x 11.8 cm; 1 17/32 in x 8 1/16 in x 4 21/32 in