Accession No

0992

Brief Description

ivory folding rule by Stanley, 19th C

Origin

Great Turnstile; Holborn; London; England

Maker

Stanley

Class

calculating

Earliest Date

1800

Latest Date

1900

Inscription Date

Material

ivory; metal (white metal)

Dimensions

length folded 162mm; breadth 21mm; thickness 19mm

Special Collection

Robert Whipple collection

Provenance

Inscription

‘STANLEY GREAT TURNSTILE HOLBORN LONDON’

Description Notes

Folding ivory rule with white metal hinges, locating pins and binding.
Face A: inch scale divided [0] - [24], numbered by 1 (but missing 6, 12 and 18), subdivided to 1/8.
Face B: inch scale divided [0] - [24], numbered by 1 (except 6, 12 and 18), subdivided to 1/12. Upper bevelled edge has eight further scales for divisions to 1/2, 3/8, 3/4, 1/16, 3/16, 1/8, 1/4 and 1 inch.
Outside edge has decimal foot scale, divided [0] - [200], numbered by 10 (except 50, 100 and 150), subdivided to 1.

Condition fair (rusting around hinges and ivory is cracked in places); complete.

References

Events

Description
Scale Rule
A straight rule with a scale engraved along the length is the simplest instrument for making linear measurements, and has been used since antiquity. However, scale rules were not commonly used for making scale drawings until around 1550 in Northern Europe. Anthropomorphic dimensions such as the foot were commonly used for the scale.

Scale rules can be straight or folding and often have even scales on one side and diagonal scales on the other, which enable the user to divide any measurement into 100 parts. They were often decorated by the maker, demonstrating artistic as well as mathematical skills (although they became more purely functional from mid 18th century). They were usually made of brass, silver, ivory or boxwood.

FM:42486