Object Details
Description
These brass and steel dividers are joined by a ball-shaped hinge. The steel pointed tips of each leg are approximately 3-1/2" long. The brass portions continue for nearly another 9". A brass arc, or wing, with a circumference of approximately 8-1/2", joins the legs. A butterfly screw allows the arc to be removed. A wing nut tightens the adjustable leg so that the dividers are set in position. On the outsides of the legs, below the two screws, the dividers are stamped with wheels that have six spokes and a small circle at the center. According to a note in the accession file, this mark represents the heraldic symbol of the city of Osnabrück, Germany.
Dividers are alternatively called (non-drawing) compasses, or Zirkel in German. Draftsmen used them to measure distances and to create circles. This pair was probably manufactured in the 18th century.
Reference: Maya Hambly, Drawing Instruments: 1580–1980 (London: Sotheby's Publications, 1988), 69–79.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1700s
ID Number
MA.322756
accession number
248674
catalog number
322756
Object Name
dividers
Physical Description
brass (overall material)
steel (overall material)
Measurements
overall: 2 cm x 33 cm x 11.5 cm; 13/16 in x 13 in x 4 1/2 in
place made
Germany: Lower Saxony, Osnabrück
See more items in
Medicine and Science: Mathematics
Time and Navigation
Science & Mathematics
Dividers and Compasses
Data Source
National Museum of American History
Subject
Mathematics
Dividers
Link to Original Record
Record ID
nmah_904335