Unspecified / ca 1900
Swiss Pattern Folding Compass and Divider
Swiss Pattern Folding Compass and Divider
The Smithsonian catalogs Swiss Pattern Folding Compass and Divider as compass in its Mathematics records.
WHY IT’S INTERESTING
The ends of this German silver instrument rotate at right angles to the legs. When the pointed ends of both legs are extended, the instrument works as a divider. The other side of one end has an adjustable pen point, and the other side of the other end has a holder, tightened by a metal ring, for a pencil lead. When one of these ends is extended, the instrument functions as a compass. The legs fol