Artifact: Set of Drawing Instruments
Materials: Case: shagreen with silver mounts; Instruments: brass, steel, ivory
Dimensions: Case: H. 7 x W. 3 1/8 in. (17.8 x 7.9 cm)
Date: 1755-1760
Origin: London
Collection: MetMuseum
License: OASC
Ledger Entry: Mathematical Instruments
Department: Literacy
Customer: Denis McCarty
Ledger Page: 23
Imported From: Simpler instruments such as rulers may have been produced locally, but more complex sets would have been imported from British production centers such as Birmingham.
Product Description
Eighteenth-century tool sets contained various instruments for all sorts of tasks. These could be as simple as a pencil and a ruler. Other sets of instruments could include a compass for measuring angles in construction or math, scales for weighing materials, and other physical or intellectual endeavors. The set pictured is a set of drawing instruments and included a ruler, protractor, and dividers.
Citation: James M. Gaynor and Nancy L. Hagedorn, Tools: Working Wood in Eighteenth-Century America (Williamsburg, VA: Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, 1993).;
Historical Price: 12 shillings, 6 pence; Modern USD: $140
Product Variations
The databases record two sets of mathematical instruments purchased. Their prices range from twelve shillings six pence to four pounds two pence.
