Capt. Field's Improved Hinged Parallel Rule Signed Henry Hughes & Son

Object Details

Description

This 21" German silver hinged parallel rule has two small knobs for positioning the instrument. Brass round pieces cover the screws securing the two hinges. An indentation is on both blades at the center of the rule, with a line marking the center. The edges of the top blade are marked as a rectangular protractor, and the edges of the bottom blade are marked for nautical compass points.

The center of the top blade is marked: U. S. C. & G. S. NO. 331. The right end of the top blade is marked: CAPT. FIELD'S IMP^D. The right end of the lower blade is marked: H. HUGHES & SON L^TD. LONDON. The left end has the firm's "HUSUN" logo, with a sun above the letters and waves below the letters.

Capt. William Andrew Field (about 1796–1871) of Britain added a protractor and compass scales to hinged parallel rules in 1854. This made it easier for ship navigators to move the rule without losing track of the ship's course. Henry Hughes & Son made marine and aeronautical navigational instruments in London from 1828 to 1947 and incorporated in 1903. According to the accession file, the U.S. Coast & Geodetic Survey acquired this rule on August 21, 1919, and last issued it on September 5, 1922. Compare to MA.309662 and MA.309663.

References: "Field's Parallel Rule," The Nautical Magazine and Naval Chronicle 23, no. 5 (May 1854): 280; Peggy A. Kidwell, "American Parallel Rules: Invention on the Fringes of Industry," Rittenhouse 10, no. 39 (1996): 90–96; National Maritime Museum, "Captain Field's Improved Parallel Rule," Object ID NAV0602, http://collections.rmg.co.uk/collections/objects/42814.html; Science Museum Group, "Henry Hughes and Son Limited," Collections Online – People, http://collectionsonline.nmsi.ac.uk/detail.php?type=related&kv=58792&t=people.

Location

Currently not on view

Credit Line

Transfer from U.S. Department of Commerce, Coast & Geodetic Survey

1919

ID Number

MA.309661

catalog number

309661

accession number

106954

Object Name

parallel rule

Physical Description

brass (overall material)

german silver (overall material)

Measurements

overall: 1.1 cm x 53.3 cm x 7.3 cm; 7/16 in x 20 31/32 in x 2 7/8 in

place made

United Kingdom: England, London

See more items in

Medicine and Science: Mathematics

Science & Mathematics

Parallel Rules

Measuring & Mapping

National Museum of American History

Subject

Mathematics

Navigation

Government

Record ID

nmah_690215

Metadata Usage (text)

CC0

GUID (Link to Original Record)

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ng49ca746a5-0491-704b-e053-15f76fa0b4fa