Brown & Sharpe Bevel Protractor
date: label: date made
content: 1899-1949
name: label: maker
content: Brown & Sharpe Manufacturing Company
notes: label: Description
content: This metal instrument consists of a circular protractor housed within an irregularly shaped blade. An 11-1/2" trapezoidal blade slides into the housing. A screw on the protractor fixes that blade in place. The protractor is divided by single degrees and marked by tens from 0° to 90° to 0° to 90° to 0°. A vernier, attached by another screw, permits angle readings to five minutes of accuracy. The protractor has a hinged case of leather over wood, lined with black satin. The case is gouged in several spots.
label: Description
content: Brown & Sharpe Manufacturing Co. introduced a "universal bevel protractor" in 1899, according to "Trade Notes," <i>Science and Industry</i> 4 (1899–1900): 274–275. Although there is no signature on this instrument, this protractor matches the illustrations in this article and in Brown & Sharpe catalogs at least as early as 1899 and at least as late as 1948.
label: Description
content: References: Kenneth L. Cope, intro., <I>A Brown & Sharpe Catalogue Collection, 1868 to 1899</I> (Mendham, N.J.: The Astragal Press, 1997); Brown & Sharpe Mfg. Co., <I>Small Tools: Catalog No. 27</I> (Providence, R.I., 1916), 92–93; <I>The Brown & Sharpe Handbook: A Guide for Young Machinists</I> (Providence, R.I., 1948), 49–54, 110–112.
label: Location
content: Currently not on view
topic: label: Subject
content: Mathematics
label: Subject
content: Protractor
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: Protractors
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: Gift of Ursula N. Forbes
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: 1986.0316.03
label: accession number
content: 1986.0316
label: catalog number
content: 1986.0316.03
objectType: label: Object Name
content: protractor
physicalDescription: label: Physical Description
content: steel (overall material)
label: Physical Description
content: satin (overall material)
label: Physical Description
content: leather (overall material)
label: Measurements
content: overall: 3 cm x 35 cm x 10 cm; 1 3/16 in x 13 25/32 in x 3 15/16 in