Andrew Alpern collection of drawing instruments, 1700-2004

Summary Information

At a Glance

Arrangement

Arrangement

This collection is divided into thirteen series, according to type, as follows: Series I: English Sets in Pocket Étuis; Series II: English Sets in Magazine Cases; Series III: Continental Sets; Series IV: American Sets; Series V: 20th-century Sets; Series VI: Scales and Rules; Series VII: Protractors; Series VIII: Proportional Dividers; Series IX: Specialized Sets and Individual Instruments; Series X: Slide Rules and Other Computational Devices; Series XI: Triangles and French Curves; Series XII: Miscellaneous Items; Series XIII: Books, Journals and Catalogues.

Description

Summary

This collection primarily contains 177 groups of English, Continental and American drafting sets and individual instruments dating from circa 1700 to 2004. These instruments were used to create technical drawings, typically by architects, draftsmen, engineers, surveyors, and students. Complementing the instruments are a small group of miscellaneous items, including medals, a model, a necktie, and a charm bracelet, and a large group of published materials, including trade catalogs and other technical, biographical, historical, and scholarly writings about drafting and scientific instruments and related subjects.

General Note

This collection was processed by Andrew Alpern prior to the collection's arrival at Avery Library. All descriptions, attributions of maker, and dates were provided by Mr. Alpern

Using the Collection

Avery Architectural and Fine Arts Library

Restrictions on Access

Due to the fragile condition of the instruments, availability to this collection is limited. For further information, please email avery-drawings@library.columbia.edu.

Terms Governing Use and Reproduction

Columbia University is providing access to the materials in the Library's collections solely for noncommercial educational and research purposes. The unauthorized use, including, but not limited to, publication of the materials without the prior written permission of Columbia University is strictly prohibited. All inquiries regarding permission to publish should be submitted in writing to the Director, Avery Architectural and Fine Arts Library, Columbia University. In addition to permission from Columbia University, permission of the copyright owner (if not Columbia University) and/or any holder of other rights (such as publicity and/or privacy rights) may also be required for reproduction, publication, distributions, and other uses. Responsibility for making an independent legal assessment of any item and securing any necessary permissions rests with the persons desiring to publish the item. Columbia University makes no warranties as to the accuracy of the materials or their fitness for a particular purpose.

Preferred Citation

Andrew Alpern Collection of Drawing Instruments, circa 1700-2004. Located in Columbia University, Avery Architectural & Fine Arts Library, Dept. of Drawings & Archives.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Source of acquisition--Gift of Andrew Alpern. Accession number--2006.006.

About the Finding Aid / Processing Information

Columbia University Libraries, Avery Architectural and Fine Arts Library

Processing Information

Collection Processed avr 2007.

Subject Headings

The subject headings listed below are found in this collection. Links below allow searches at Columbia University through the Archival Collections Portal and through CLIO, the catalog for Columbia University Libraries, as well as ArchiveGRID, a catalog that allows users to search the holdings of multiple research libraries and archives.

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Subject

History / Biographical Note

Biographical / Historical

The items in this collection were gathered by New York architect, historian, and attorney Andrew Alpern over forty years, primarily by purchase at auction and from private dealers in the United States and Europe.