Patent Model for Hosley Ship's Model Measurer, 1851
date: label: date made
content: 1851
label: patent date
content: 1851-08-19
name: label: patentee
content: Hosley, Abijah S.
label: inventor
content: Hosley, Abijah S.
notes: label: Description
content: This patent model accompanied Abijah S. Hosley’s patent application for a caliper to measure ship models that received patent number 8,307 on August 19, 1851. Vessel construction in the nineteenth century started with wooden models. Built to disassemble into pieces, the carefully shaped models would be taken apart and measured, and the measurements would be used to create full-sized patterns for fabricating the vessel's components. If drawings were created at all, they too were based on measurements from models. Hosley claimed his caliper provided greater accuracy, greater speed, and greater ease of use than ordinary measuring devices.
label: Description
content: The ebony and brass model is comprised of two wooden posts attached to form an L. A curved handle projects from the top of the main post. A measuring arm slides along the bottom, its ivory scale and brass straight- edge rest. A second, curved measuring arm, now missing, once slid perpendicular to the secondary post; its headstock is still attached to the threaded rod that once adjusted its position. The secondary post's ivory scale is also missing. Two thumb screws at one end of the device control the measuring arms.
label: Location
content: Currently not on view
place: label: associated place
content: United States: New York, New York City
setName: label: See more items in
content: Work and Industry: Maritime
label: See more items in
content: Engineering, Building, and Architecture
label: See more items in
content: America on the Move
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: TR.308544
label: catalog number
content: 308544
label: accession number
content: 89797
label: patent number
content: 8,307
objectType: label: Object Name
content: device for measuring ship, model
label: Object Name
content: device for measuring ship model, model
label: Object Name
content: device for measuring ship model, patent model
label: Object Name
content: patent model, measurer, ships model
label: Object Type
content: Patent Model
label: Other Terms
content: patent model, measurer, ships model; device for measuring ship models; Maritime
physicalDescription: label: Physical Description
content: ivory (scale material)
label: Physical Description
content: brass (straight-edge material)
label: Physical Description
content: ebony (post material)