Webb Adder
date: label: date made
content: ca 1890
name: label: patentee
content: Webb, Charles H.
notes: label: Description
content: This is a two-wheeled steel and nickel-plated brass adding machine. It is stylus-operated and non-printing. The large wheel has 00 to 99 stamped around the edge. The smaller wheel has 0 to 49 stamped around its edge. A ring of holes is inside each ring of numbers. A metal plate covers the outer edges of the two wheels, revealing sums in a small window between them. The numbers 0 to 99 also are stamped around the window for the larger wheel. Numbers are added by rotating the wheels, up to sums of 4999. The carry mechanism is that patented by L. C. Smith (patent 414335). The frame is serrated around the edge, and smooth on the back. A metal piece is attached to the frame at the top. There is a stylus. The machine is marked: “THE ADDER.” It has serial number 549. There are no references to any patent numbers on the device, nor is Webb mentioned. The example comes from the Draper family of New York.
label: Description
content: References:
label: Description
content: C. H. Webb, “Adding-Machine,” U.S. Patent 414959, November 12, 1889.
label: Description
content: Lester C. Smith, “Adding-Machine,” U.S. Patent 414335, November 5, 1889.
label: Description
content: P. A. Kidwell, “The Webb Adder,” <I>Rittenhouse</I>, 1 (1986), pp.12-18.
label: Description
content: E. Martin, <I>The Calculating Machines (Die Rechenmaschinen)</I>, trans. P. A. Kidwell and M. R. Williams, Cambridge: MIT Press, 1992, p. 63.
label: Location
content: Currently not on view
place: label: place made
content: United States: New York, New York City
label: place patented
content: United States: New York, New York City
topic: label: Subject
content: Mathematics
setName: label: See more items in
content: Medicine and Science: Mathematics
label: See more items in
content: Adding Machines
label: See more items in
content: Science & Mathematics
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: Gift of John William Christopher Draper and James Christopher Draper
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: MA.335358
label: accession number
content: 304826
label: catalog number
content: 335358
objectType: label: Object Name
content: adding machine
physicalDescription: label: Physical Description
content: brass, nickel-plated (overall material)
label: Physical Description
content: steel (overall material)
label: Measurements
content: overall: .7 cm x 16.2 cm x 12.5 cm; 9/32 in x 6 3/8 in x 4 29/32 in