Dietzgen 1084S Wallet Case of Drawing Instruments
date: label: date made
content: 1928-1937
name: label: distributor
content: Eugene Dietzgen Company
notes: label: Description
content: This black synthetic leather case is lined with purple velvet and fastens with a snap. The top flap is marked: 1084 S. Inside the flap is marked: DIETZGEN (/) "PREP". A brass plate on the inside front of the case has a paper label handmarked: WIELER. Below the plate is marked: PAT. APPL. FOR. The back of the case is marked: Germany. The set includes:
label: Description
content: 1) 5-3/8" steel dividers lacking all attachments.
label: Description
content: 2) 3" aluminum handle missing its lid.
label: Description
content: 3) German silver and steel 4-1/8" extension bar and 2-1/8" pen and needle point attachments for dividers.
label: Description
content: 4) 2-1/4" aluminum and steel screwdriver.
label: Description
content: 5) 1-3/8" aluminum cylindrical case for leads, with two needle points.
label: Description
content: 6) 5-1/2" aluminum and steel drawing pen. The German silver adjusting screw is marked: DIETZGEN (/) GERMANY.
label: Description
content: 7) 3-3/4" German silver and steel bow dividers and bow pen. The bow dividers are marked: CHARVOS, INC. U.S.A. The screw on the bow pen is marked: DIETZGEN (/) GERMANY.
label: Description
content: Around 1880, Eugene Dietzgen emigrated from Germany and became a sales distributor for Keuffel & Esser in New York. In 1885, he began to sell mathematical instruments on his own in Chicago. In 1893, his firm started manufacturing instruments under the name Eugene Dietzgen Company. In 1928, the business began importing these particular instruments to sell as the Prep product line for students. Model number 1084S was then priced at $4.70. By 1936, the set cost $5.45. In 1938, the handles on the pen and screwdriver were painted black and no longer were ridged. The patent referenced on the case is not known.
label: Description
content: The large dividers and bow dividers clearly were put into the set later to replace original pieces. Charvoz made sets of drawing instruments in West Germany in the second half of the 20th century. According to the donor, this set of drawing instruments was used by her husband, the electrical engineer Robert H. Wieler (1923–1993). He likely acquired the set around 1937 as a school student.
label: Description
content: References: <i>Catalog of Eugene Dietzgen Co.</i>, 13th ed. (Chicago, 1928), 144; <i>Catalog of Eugene Dietzgen Co.</i>, 14th ed. (Chicago, 1931), 156; <i>Catalog of Eugene Dietzgen Co.</i>, 15th ed. (Chicago, 1938), 188.
label: Location
content: Currently not on view
place: label: place made
content: Germany
label: place distributed
content: United States: Illinois, Chicago
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 Norma P. Wieler
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: 1998.0032.01
label: catalog number
content: 1998.0032.01
label: accession number
content: 1998.0032
objectType: label: Object Name
content: drawing instruments, set of
physicalDescription: label: Physical Description
content: steel (overall material)
label: Physical Description
content: leather (overall material)
label: Physical Description
content: fabric (overall material)
label: Physical Description
content: german silver (overall material)
label: Measurements
content: overall: 2.6 cm x 22 cm x 9.5 cm; 1 1/32 in x 8 21/32 in x 3 3/4 in