| Collection |
Ronecker Slate Collection |
| Object ID |
2001.211.38 |
| Object Name |
Slate, Pocket |
| Title |
New York point and braille slate |
| Made |
Cooper Engineering and Manufacturing Co. |
| Place of Origin |
Chicago |
| Date |
ca. 1925 |
| Year Range from |
1921 |
| Year range to |
1927 |
| Description |
Hinged pocket slate for writing New York point or braille; 4 lines of 36 cells; pins in bottom plate. "Made By Cooper Eng. & Mfg. Co. Chicago, Ill U.S.A." --top plate. |
| Provenance/History |
Item is part of a slate collection that belonged to David Ronecker (1918-2001). He was blind since birth, attended the Missouri School for the Blind, worked in Texas as a medical technician for the armed forces, and was an avid collector of slates. He was the uncle of Charles Zinser, who acquired the slate collection after Ronecker's death.
William Bell Wait, Superintendent of the New York Institution for the Blind, introduced New York Point in 1868 and it quickly replaced line letter in most U.S. schools. NY Point characters were two dots high and of variable width, and could be written using a slate similar in design to those used for braille. Point began to decline rapidly in popularity following the decision in 1909 by New York to adopt braille. New York Point slates remained in the APH catalog, however, until 1932. |
| Dimension notes |
1 3/4 x 8 in. |
| Material |
Heavy metal |
| Subjects |
Aids for the blind and visually handicapped.
Braille.
Instructional aids, tools, and supplies.
New York point.
Slates.
Tactile writing. |
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