can closed and open;with product stored and removed
Name/Title
Flexible or Pocket Leveling Rod., No. 6330 (8 ft). Made by K&E Co., N.Y. & Hoboken, n.d., ca. 1900-1908.
Entry/Object ID
2010.007.0450
Description
Flexible or Pocket Leveling Rod., No. 6330 (8 feet). Made by Keuffel & Esser Co., New York & Hoboken, no date, circa 1900-1908. Lithographed (red, black and gold) metal can with slip lid, 2-1/2" diameter x 3-1/2" high. Contents: laminated canvas fabric measuring tape, 3" wide x 8 feet (ca. 8'-8" overall length); white ground printed with markings in black and red by feet divided by tenths and hundreths of a foot; back is gray and unprinted.
K&E logo, griffin trademark and product number imprinted at top end. Product name also appears on the can and lid with the lid also having the model number. This model was the shortest of the 4 models offered in this period. (Date estimated by branch offices listed on can, but this item is known to have appeared in their catalog as early as 1892; K&E had their factory in Hoboken which is stated on the can.)
Item was intended as a compact version of the leveling rods used in field work. It would be unrolled and thumbtacked to a straight wood board for surveying work; an additional 4 inches at the top and bottom beyond the scale is present as an area for it to be secured - thumbtack marks are present where it was once attached in this way. When done, it would be re-rolled for storage in the tin for future use.
For reference, a detail from page 463 of the 33rd edition catalog of 1909 is imaged here.
Acquisition
Accession
2010.007
Source or Donor
Lukacs, Claire
Acquisition Method
Gift
Credit Line
Museum Collections. Gift of a friend of the Museum.
