Name/Title
School SlatesEntry/Object ID
2026.349.2Description
Two double slates used by Lillian Zobel as a child, for school. Early 1900s. One slate has the 2nd half missing. The other slate still consists of both halves attached. Slates bound in leather. Lillian's name written in pencil in multiple places on the slates.Context
In the early 1900s, double school slates (also known as folding slates) were essential tools in one-room country schoolhouses. They consisted of two slate boards bound together by cloth ribbons, leather, or twine, closing like a book to offer four writing surfaces. Because paper and ink were highly expensive and scarce, students relied on these erasable tablets to practice writing, spelling, and mathAcquisition
Accession
2026.349Source or Donor
Zobel familyAcquisition Method
DonationLexicon
Nomenclature 4.0
Nomenclature Secondary Object Term
Slate, WritingNomenclature Primary Object Term
Tablet, WritingNomenclature Sub-Class
Writing MediaNomenclature Class
Written Communication T&ENomenclature Category
Category 06: Tools & Equipment for Communication