Measuring and Drafting Instruments
Object/Artifact
A black-and-white photograph featuring a set of drafting tools, including a ruler with detailed measurement markings and several adjustable straightedges with pivoting joints. These tools were commonly used for precision engineering, drafting, and technical drawing in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
As an engineer, inventor, and draftsman, Lewis Latimer played a crucial role in patent drawings and technical documentation for electrical innovations. Drafting tools such as these would have been essential for Latimer’s work, particularly in developing detailed schematics for lightbulbs, electrical grids, and mechanical components. His drafting expertise allowed him to contribute significantly to Thomas Edison's and Alexander Graham Bell's inventions, including the refinement of carbon filament light bulbs.
Latimer Family Papers (1870-1996 ) [QPL Full Collection]