Comptometer, Macaroni Box Model
date: label: date made
content: 1884-1885
name: label: maker
content: Felt, Dorr E.
notes: label: Description
content: This is the prototype for the Comptometer, a key-driven adding machine invented by Dorr E. Felt of Chicago. It is a scarred wooden box (originally used to transport macaroni) that contains the levers and wheels for a 5-column adding machine with one partial column of keys (wooden skewers), four of which are missing. The number dials are at the front. Two screws are on the top of the back panel. A series of rubber bands, used to set the levers to accept the next keystroke, are missing.
label: Description
content: Compare to replica, which has catalog number MA.323646.
label: Description
content: Reference:
label: Description
content: J. A. V. Turck, <I>Origin of Modern Calculating Machines</I>, Chicago: Western Society of Engineers, 1921, pp. 52-56.
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: Adding Machines
label: See more items in
content: Science & Mathematics
label: Exhibition
content: Inventing In America
label: Exhibition Location
content: National Museum of American History
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: Gift of the Heirs of Dorr E. Felt
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: MA.311192
label: catalog number
content: 311192
label: accession number
content: 143207
objectType: label: Object Name
content: adding machine
physicalDescription: label: Physical Description
content: wood (overall material)
label: Physical Description
content: cork (overall material)
label: Physical Description
content: metal (overall material)
label: Measurements
content: overall: 25 cm x 20 cm x 52.5 cm; 9 27/32 in x 7 7/8 in x 20 21/32 in