Arithmetic Teaching Apparatus, Visigraph Model C
date: label: date made
content: ca 1910
notes: label: Description
content: Teachers used this apparatus to provide exercises in arithmetic for children. It consists of a rotating steel drum inside a cylindrical steel cover. A 10 x 19 array of digits is printed on paper, and the paper glued to the drum. The bottom row of digits includes only digits 4 or smaller, the second and third row digits up to 5, and the fourth row digits up to 6. Black cardboard windows in the drum may be moved aside to reveal digits from two adjacent columns. Hence teachers could set a wide array of problems of differing difficulty.
label: Description
content: A mark on metal tag attached to outer cover of instrument near the base reads: MODEL C VISIGRAPH (/) PATENTED (/) MECHANICAL EDUCATOR CO. (/) LOS ANGELES, CAL.
label: Description
content: The cylinder sits on an iron stand that has rubber wheels so that it could be rolled from class to class. With stand, the dimensions of the object are 44.5 cm. w. x 44.5 cm. d. x 162 cm. h.
label: Description
content: According to the donor, UCLA Emeritus Professor of Education Wilbur Harvey Dutton (about 1910-1994), the instrument was used at the Nora Sterry School (then the Sawtelle Public School) in West Los Angeles from about 1910.
label: Description
content: In 1910, John G. Warfield of Los Angeles, California, took out two United States patents for apparatus similar to this. the patents came to be the property of the Mechanical Educator Company of Los Angeles.
label: Description
content: References:
label: Description
content: Accession file.
label: Description
content: John G. Warfield, “Educational Appliance,” U.S. Patent 967,591, August 16, 1910.
label: Description
content: John G. Warfield, “Educational Device,” U.S. Patent 969,429, September 6, 1910.
label: Description
content: “To Build Own Factory: Reorganized Mechanical Educator Company Announces Plans for Building to House Growing Plant – Order Special New Machinery,” <I>Los Angeles Times</I>, June 17, 1916.
label: Location
content: Currently not on view
place: label: place made
content: United States: California, Los Angeles
topic: label: Subject
content: Mathematics
setName: label: See more items in
content: Medicine and Science: Mathematics
label: See more items in
content: Arithmetic Teaching
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: Gift of Wilbur H. Dutton
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: 1978.0490.01
label: accession number
content: 1978.0490
label: catalog number
content: 336598
objectType: label: Object Name
content: Teaching Apparatus
physicalDescription: label: Physical Description
content: paper (overall material)
label: Physical Description
content: ferrous metal (overall material)
label: Physical Description
content: rubber (overall material)
label: Measurements
content: cylinder: 78 cm x 39 cm x 39 cm; 30 23/32 in x 15 11/32 in x 15 11/32 in
label: Measurements
content: overall: 162 cm x 44.5 cm x 44.5 cm; 63 25/32 in x 17 17/32 in x 17 17/32 in