E. O. Richter & Co. Wallet Case of Drawing Instruments
date: label: date made
content: early 20th century
name: label: maker
content: E. O. Richter & Co.
notes: label: Description
content: This folding wood and cardboard case is covered with black leather and lined with teal velvet. The back of the case is marked: MADE IN GERMANY. The snaps fastening the case are marked with a ring of decorative letter Ps. The insides of the snaps are marked: C-PM-C (/) C-PM-C. The letters P and M are superimposed on each other. Inside the top flap is also marked with a backward E and superimposed R and O. This is the trademark for E. O. Richter, a German firm that made mathematical instruments from 1892 to the 1980s. The set includes:
label: Description
content: 1) 2-1/2" German silver and steel screwdriver containing a metal bar and a pen nib.
label: Description
content: 2) 3-1/8" German silver pen handle containing four needle points.
label: Description
content: 3) 6-1/4" steel dividers with removable needle, pencil, and pen points, and extension bar. The center hinge is marked: Richter, followed by the Richter trademark.
label: Description
content: 4) 5-5/8" steel fixed-leg dividers. The center hinge is marked: Richter, followed by the Richter trademark.
label: Description
content: 5) 5-1/8" steel and 4-7/8" wood, German silver, and steel drawing pens. The blades are marked: PAT. AUG 9, 92 (/) MAY 7, 95. The backs of the blades are marked: T. A. & SON. These marks indicate the pens were made by Theodore Alteneder & Sons of Philadelphia. The pens do not fit their slots in the case and may not be original to the set.
label: Description
content: 6) 4-1/4" steel bow dividers, bow pencil, and bow pen. The side of each instrument is marked: D.R.P. (Richter held German patents on several of its drawing instruments.) Below the mark is the Richter trademark.
label: Description
content: The Smithsonian received this object in 1964. A date around 1930 would be consistent with other items received in the accession. The instruments are almost certainly newer than those in the similar set, 2007.0039.01.
label: Description
content: References: D. M. Riches, "E. O. Richter," http://www.mathsinstruments.me.uk/page51.html; Ferdinand A. Alteneder, "Drawing Pen" (U.S. Patent 480,541 issued August 9, 1892) and (U.S. Patent 538,811 issued May 7, 1895).
label: Location
content: Currently not on view
place: label: place made
content: Germany: Saxony, Chemnitz
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 Mrs. Llewellyn N. Edwards
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: MA.325684
label: accession number
content: 257193
label: catalog number
content: 325684
objectType: label: Object Name
content: drawing instruments, set of
physicalDescription: label: Physical Description
content: german silver (overall material)
label: Physical Description
content: steel (overall material)
label: Physical Description
content: wood (overall material)
label: Physical Description
content: leather (overall material)
label: Physical Description
content: fabric (overall material)
label: Measurements
content: overall: 2.4 cm x 26.3 cm x 11.8 cm; 15/16 in x 10 11/32 in x 4 21/32 in