Whitehead & Hoag Ruler Advertising E. Machlett & Son
date: label: date made
content: 1943–1957
name: label: maker
content: Whitehead & Hoag Company
notes: label: Description
content: This white plastic advertising rule has a scale of inches along the top edge, divided to 1/16" and numbered by ones from 1 to 6, and a scale of centimeters along the bottom edge, divided to millimeters and numbered by ones from 1 to 15. A list of equivalent measures is at the right end. The center of the rule is marked: E. MACHLETT & SON (/) 22 E. 23rd Street NEW YORK 10, N.Y. (/) Laboratory APPARATUS & CHEMICALS (/) ESTABLISHED 1897. The left end is marked: PHONE (/) LEXINGTON 2-1313 (/) BELL TELETYPE (/) N. Y. 1-2444.
label: Description
content: The back of the rule has scales for converting between Fahrenheit and Celsius temperatures and for measuring the size of a cork. A table of diameters and weights of rubber stoppers is in the lower right corner. The center of the rule is marked: MACHLETT. The right end is marked in very small type: WHITEHEAD-HOAG NEWARK N J.
label: Description
content: Founded in 1892 and in business until 1959, Whitehead & Hoag was a major producer of paper and plastic advertising novelties. It was headquartered in Newark but had branch offices in about thirty cities around the world. For other mathematical objects made by this company, see 1984.1080.01, 1987.0221.02, 1988.0323.01, 1988.0350.01, and 2004.010.0170. Items made by Whitehead & Hoag are also found in several other Museum collections, including numismatics, political history, and medicine.
label: Description
content: E. Machlett & Son began making glass laboratory apparatus in New York City in 1897. Fisher Scientific acquired the firm in 1957. The U.S. Post Office Department began using two-digit postal codes in 1943, so that must be the earliest date for the instrument.
label: Description
content: References: "Whitehead and Hoag Collection," Nehushtan Antiques, http://www.nehushtanantiques.com/whitehead_and_hoag.html; Laine Farley, "Whitehead & Hoag Celluloid Bookmarks," http://www.bibliobuffet.com/on-marking-books-columns-195/archive-index-on-marking-books/1039-whitehead-a-hoag-celluloid-bookmarks-053109; Machlett advertisement, <i>Analytical Chemistry</i> 25, no. 4 (1953): 15A.
label: Location
content: Currently not on view
place: label: place made
content: United States: New Jersey, Newark
topic: label: Subject
content: Mathematics
label: Subject
content: Promotional Item
label: Subject
content: Rule, Measuring
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: Scale Rules
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: Gift of Edith R. Meggers
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: MA.335274
label: accession number
content: 314637
label: catalog number
content: 335274
objectType: label: Object Name
content: rule
label: Object Name
content: scale rule
physicalDescription: label: Physical Description
content: plastic (overall material)
label: Measurements
content: overall: .1 cm x 15.9 cm x 2.6 cm; 1/32 in x 6 1/4 in x 1 1/32 in