Object Details
maker
Zeiss
Description
This rectangular transparent glass ruler has a millimeter scale numbered by tens from 0 to 200. It is marked: Carl Zeiss, (/) Jena. The rule is cracked in the lower left corner. A tan envelope is made from folded paper.
In 1846 Carl Zeiss established a workshop in Jena, Germany, that became known for microscopes, telescopes, and photographic lenses. The firm sold this rule for making measurements on drawings and photographs for 5 marks at least as early as 1891. By 1902, it was numbered model 134 and described as a 20-cm rule instead of a 200-mm rule. The new price of 7 marks increased to 8 marks in 1906. The Department of Entomology at the National Museum of Natural History used this rule to study its collections.
References: Carl Zeiss Jena, Microscopes and Microscopic Accessories, 29th ed. (Jena, 1891), 75; 31st ed. (Jena, 1898), 75; 32nd ed. (Jena, 1902), 96; 33rd ed. (Jena, 1906), 79.
Location
Currently not on view
Credit Line
Transfer from National Museum of Natural History, Department of Entomology
date made
1891–1902
ID Number
1990.0099.03
accession number
1990.0099
catalog number
1990.0099.03
Object Name
rule
scale rule
Physical Description
glass (overall material)
Measurements
overall: .3 cm x 22.3 cm x 3.7 cm; 1/8 in x 8 25/32 in x 1 15/32 in
place made
Germany: Thuringia, Jena
See more items in
Medicine and Science: Mathematics
Science & Mathematics
Scale Rules
Data Source
National Museum of American History
Subject
Mathematics
Rule, Measuring
Drawing Instruments
Link to Original Record
Record ID
nmah_904794