Accession No

6012

Brief Description

proportional dividers in black case, used by Brian Harland during the surveys of Svalbard between 1949 and 1993, by Proebster, German, 20th century

Origin

Germany

Maker

Proebster

Class

drawing; earth sciences

Earliest Date

1900

Latest Date

1980

Inscription Date

Material

metal (stainless steel); cloth (felt?); plastic; paint

Dimensions

case: length 225mm; width 41mm; height 21mm

Special Collection

Brian Harland collection

Provenance

Donated on or before 15/09/2004.

Inscription

'Circles' (along edge of arm)
'Lines' (along other edge or arm)
'PROEBSTER 183 E' (on obverse of case)
'Made in Germany' (on reverse of case)

Description Notes

Proportional dividers in black case; 20th century

Two arms with a short and longer needle at either end, one arm is graduated with two scales. The scale for lines is logarithmically(?) graduated, marked at 10, 8, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 3/5, 2/3, 3/4, 4/5, 5/6, 7/8, 11/12 with mid lines between markings from 10 to 2. The scale for circles is logarithmically(?) graduated, marked at 36, 24, 20, 18, 16, 14, 12, 10, 8, 6 with mid lines between markings 20 to 6. The letters GS appear below the marking for 10.

The arms are joined by a hinge that is free to move along the insides of the arms along a track; the hinge has two screws one to move it along the track, which is capped in white paint, and the other to allow the graduated arm to slide along the joint. The hinge has a line marked on it.

The dividers have a near-hexagonal profile when viewed down the length.

The black case is covered in a shiny black plastic coating with a leatherette texture beneath it. The 'Proebster' inscription on the obverse is written inside a rectangle with a large P logo behind it, presumably the maker’s name. The case opens by pulling on a metal pin on the right side. The inside is fitted for the dividers and lined with blue felt(?).

Condition: good; complete

References

Events