Skip to main content

Search

My Visit
Donate
Home Smithsonian Institution

Site Navigation

  • Visit
    • Museums and Zoo
    • Entry and Guidelines
    • Maps and Brochures
    • Dine and Shop
    • Accessibility
    • Visiting with Kids
    • Group Visits
      • Group Sales
  • What's On
    • Exhibitions
      • Current
      • Upcoming
      • Past
    • Online Events
    • All Events
    • IMAX & Planetarium
  • Explore
    • - Art & Design
    • - History & Culture
    • - Science & Nature
    • Collections
      • Open Access
    • Research Resources
      • Libraries
      • Archives
        • Smithsonian Institution Archives
        • Air and Space Museum
        • Anacostia Community Museum
        • American Art Museum
        • Archives of American Art
        • Archives of American Gardens
        • American History Museum
        • American Indian Museum
        • Asian Art Museum Archives
        • Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives, African Art
        • Hirshhorn Archive
        • National Anthropological Archives
        • National Portrait Gallery
        • Ralph Rinzler Archives, Folklife
        • Libraries' Special Collections
    • Podcasts
    • Stories
  • Learn
    • For Caregivers
    • For Educators
      • Art & Design Resources
      • Science & Nature Resources
      • Social Studies & Civics Resources
      • Professional Development
      • Events for Educators
      • Field Trips
    • For Students
    • For Academics
    • For Lifelong Learners
  • Support Us
    • Become a Member
    • Renew Membership
    • Make a Gift
    • Volunteer
      • Smithsonian Call Center
      • Ambassador Program
      • Museum Information Desk
      • Docent Programs
      • Behind-the-Scenes
      • Digital Volunteers
      • Participatory Science
  • About
    • Our Organization
      • Board of Regents
        • Members
        • Committees
        • Reading Room
        • Bylaws, Policies and Procedures
        • Schedules and Agendas
        • Meeting Minutes
        • Actions
        • Webcasts
        • Contact
      • Museums and Zoo
      • Research Centers
      • Cultural Centers
      • Education Centers
      • General Counsel
        • Legal History
        • Internships
        • Records Requests
          • Reading Room
        • Tort Claim
        • Subpoenas & Testimonies
        • Events
      • Office of Human Resources
        • Employee Benefits
        • How to Apply
        • Job Opportunities
        • Job Seekers with Disabilities
        • Frequently Asked Questions
        • SI Civil Program
        • Contact Us
      • EEO & Small Business
        • EEO Complaint Process
        • Individuals with Disabilities
        • Small Business Program
          • Doing Business with Us
          • Contracting Opportunities
          • Additional Resources
        • Special Emphasis Program
      • Sponsored Projects
        • Policies
          • Combating Trafficking in Persons
          • Animal Care and Use
          • Human Research
        • Reports
        • Internships
    • Our Leadership
    • Reports and Plans
      • Annual Reports
      • Metrics Dashboard
        • Dashboard Home
        • Virtual Smithsonian
        • Public Engagement
        • National Collections
        • Research
        • People & Operations
      • Strategic Plan
    • Newsdesk
      • News Releases
      • Media Contacts
      • Photos and Video
      • Media Kits
      • Fact Sheets
      • Visitor Stats
      • Secretary and Admin Bios
      • Filming Requests

Brunsviga Model A Calculating Machine

National Museum of American History

Object Details

Grimme, Natalis & Co.
Description
This lever-set pinwheel non-printing and manually operated calculating machine has a steel casing painted black, a steel mechanism, and nine levers for entering numbers. A small metal lever is at the top left of the machine. A steel crank with a wooden handle that extends from the right side of the machine rotates backward (clockwise) for addition and multiplication and forward (counterclockwise) for subtraction and division.
At the front of the machine is a movable carriage with 18 windows that show dials of the result register on the right and ten windows for the revolution register on the left. The revolution register has no carry mechanism. Digits in this register are white for additions and red for subtractions. The carriage has holes for decimal markers, but no decimal markers are present. Depressing a lever at the front of the machine releases the carriage for shifting. A wing nut on the left side of the carriage zeros the result register. The zeroing mechanism for the result register extends from the right side of the carriage, but is broken. A bell on the left end of the carriage rings when the result passes through zero.
The machine rests on a wooden base, but the lid of the case is missing.
Three marks on the front of the machine read: BRUNSVIGA, No 6384, and G.N.&C.C.a.A. a mark on the left side reads: Grimme, Natalis & Co.(/) Braunschweig - Brunswick (/) System W.T. Odhner (/) Patentirt in: (/) Deutschland (/) England (/) Osterreich (/) Ungaren (/) Frankreich (/) V.St.v.Nord-Amerika (/) Schweiz [. . .] 4578.
This example is from the collection of Felt & Tarrant Manufacturing Company.
Reference:
E. Martin, The Calculating Machines (Die Rechenmaschinen), trans. P. A. Kidwell and M. R. Williams, Cambridge: MIT Press, 1992, pp. 109–113.
Location
Currently not on view
Credit Line
Gift of Victor Comptometer Corporation
ca 1905
ID Number
MA.323600
catalog number
323600
accession number
250163
maker number
6384
Object Name
calculating machine
Physical Description
wood (overall material)
steel (overall material)
plastic (overall material)
Measurements
overall: 16.5 cm x 48 cm x 19.5 cm; 6 1/2 in x 18 29/32 in x 7 11/16 in
place made
Germany: Lower Saxony, Brunswick
See more items in
Medicine and Science: Mathematics
Calculating Machines
Science & Mathematics
National Museum of American History
Subject
Mathematics
Record ID
nmah_690704
Metadata Usage (text)
CC0
GUID (Link to Original Record)
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ng49ca746a5-123f-704b-e053-15f76fa0b4fa

Related Content

  • Calculating Machines

    American History Museum
  • Calculating Machines

    American History Museum
Brunsviga Model A Calculating Machine
There are restrictions for re-using this image. For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Terms of Use page .
International media Interoperability Framework
IIIF provides researchers rich metadata and media viewing options for comparison of works across cultural heritage collections. Visit the IIIF page to learn more.
View manifest View in Mirador Viewer

Footer logo

Link to homepage

Footer navigation

  • Contact Us
  • Job Opportunities
  • Get Involved
  • Inspector General
  • Records Requests
  • Accessibility
  • EEO & Small Business
  • Shop Online
  • Host Your Event
  • Press Room
  • Privacy
  • Terms of Use

Social media links

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • YouTube
  • LinkedIn

Get the latest news from the Smithsonian

Sign up for Smithsonian e-news

Get the latest news from the Smithsonian

Email powered by BlackBaud (Privacy Policy, Terms of Use)
CAPTCHA
This question is for testing whether or not you are a human visitor and to prevent automated spam submissions.
Back to Top