Brass ellipsograph
- Materials:
- brass , wood (unidentified) and steel (metal)
- Object Number:
- 1945-2/1
- type:
- ellipsograph and drawing curve instrument
Ellipsograph, in wooden box (see stroke/part records), unsigned, United Kingdom, 1880-1920
As circles become ellipses when viewed obliquely, the ellipse is an important shape in perspective drawing. The Society of Arts stimulated new designs of ellipsographs in the early 19th century by awarding medals for their invention. This is a simple and elegant machine. Altering the lower setting changes the size of the figure; altering the upper setting changes the eccentricity. The ellipse is then drawn by turning the handle.