Darling, Brown & Sharpe Drafting Triangle
date: label: date made
content: 1866-1892
name: label: maker
content: Darling, Brown and Sharpe
notes: label: Description
content: In the early 19th century, draftsmen began to use triangles in combination with T-squares to draw vertical and diagonal lines. This steel 30°-60°-90° triangle is 14" tall. A hole near the 30° angle is for hanging. The instrument is marked: D. B. & S. Prov. R. I. (/) E. D. LEAVITT. Compare to 1977.0460.09 and 1977.0460.10.
label: Description
content: D. B. & S. is the mark for Darling, Brown & Sharpe of Providence, R.I. Samuel Darling, a machinist who invented numerous drafting instruments, partnered with Joseph R. Brown and Lucian Sharpe between 1866 and 1892. For more on the history of Darling, Brown & Sharpe, see 1977.0460.01, 1977.0460.05, and 1977.0460.06. This object was not advertised in company catalogs published in 1868 and 1887.
label: Description
content: Erasmus Darwin Leavitt Jr. (1836–1916), the renowned American mechanical engineer and designer of steam engines, owned this triangle. It was donated to the Smithsonian by his granddaughter, Margaret Van Daell Rice (1904–1979).
label: Description
content: References: Maya Hambly, <i>Drawing Instruments, 1580–1980</i> (London: Sotheby's Publications, 1988), 105; Bureau of Naval Personnel, <i>Basic Hand Tool Skills</i> (Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, 1954), 51; Kenneth L. Cope, intro., <i>A Brown & Sharpe Catalogue Collection, 1868 to 1899 </i> (Mendham, N.J.: The Astragal Press, 1997); Henry Dexter Sharpe, <i>A Measure of Perfection: The History of Brown & Sharpe</i> (North Kingston, R.I.: Brown & Sharpe, 1949), http://www.roseantiquetools.com/id44.html.
label: Location
content: Currently not on view
place: label: place made
content: United States: Rhode Island, Providence
topic: label: Subject
content: Mathematics
label: Subject
content: Drafting, Engineering
label: Subject
content: Drawing Instruments
setName: label: See more items in
content: Medicine and Science: Mathematics
label: See more items in
content: Squares and Triangles
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content: Science & Mathematics
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: Gift of Margaret van D. Rice
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: 1977.0460.08
label: catalog number
content: 336079
label: accession number
content: 1977.0460
objectType: label: Object Name
content: triangle
physicalDescription: label: Physical Description
content: steel (overall material)
label: Measurements
content: overall: 20.2 cm x 35.3 cm x .2 cm; 7 15/16 in x 13 29/32 in x 3/32 in