Object Details
maker
Underwood Corporation
Description
American religious organizations have long used computing devices. The First Baptist Church of Suitland, Maryland owned this machine.
The ten-key printing electric adding machine has a block of nine white plastic keys with the 0 bar below. On the left are CORR, B’K (/) SPAC and X (/) REP’T keys. On the right are SUB- (/) TOTAL, ADD, and NO + (/) TOTAL keys. Above the keyboard is a place indicator. Above and behind this is the printing mechanism. One may enter numbers of up to ten digits, and print results of up to 11 digits.
A metal plate painted gray and held down with screws covers the spools of the two-color ribbon. The machine has a paper tape 2-1/2” (6.3 cm) wide. A lever on the right releases tension on the platen. A lever on the left sets the spacing. The motor is inside the case, at the back.
The machine is marked: Underwood (/) Sundstrand ... (/) Underwood Corporation (/) Protected by United States (/) and Foreign Patents (/) Made in U.S.A. It is also marked: 416151 (/) 11140P (/) UNIVERSAL MOTOR (/) VOLTS 115 AMPS. 1.5. The “11” in the first two digits of the model number corresponds to the number of possible digits in the total. The “P” refers to electric machines.
References:
American Business Machines Research, III, 1937.
Documentation 1990.3188.7.
Location
Currently not on view
Credit Line
Gift of First Baptist Church of Suitland, Maryland
date made
1944
ID Number
1978.0279.01
maker number
416151
accession number
1978.0279
catalog number
336517
Object Name
adding machine
Physical Description
metal (overall material)
plastic (overall material)
paper (overall material)
Measurements
overall: 26 cm x 23.5 cm x 41 cm; 10 1/4 in x 9 1/4 in x 16 5/32 in
place made
United States: Connecticut, Bridgeport
See more items in
Medicine and Science: Mathematics
Adding Machines
Science & Mathematics
Data Source
National Museum of American History
Subject
Mathematics
Link to Original Record
Record ID
nmah_690096