| Collection |
APH Collection |
| Object ID |
1992.74 |
| Object Name |
Slate, Arithmetic |
| Artist |
Taylor, William |
| Title |
Taylor Slate |
| Made |
American Printing House for the Blind |
| Place of Origin |
Louisville, KY |
| Date |
ca. 1940 |
| Year Range from |
1945 |
| Year range to |
1955 |
| Description |
This device consists of a rectangular stainless steel type frame, 432 octagonal cells are stamped in the top in an 18 x 24 grid, with a recessed oval compartment at one end for holding the extra type when the frame is in use; top folded on sides to wrap around the bottom plate and riveted with eight rivets; a black treated canvas or paper is between the top and the base to serve as a sound buffer; (38) pieces of yellow plastic type. |
| Provenance/History |
The main purpose of this device was to aid in the teaching and working of problems of long division, multiplication of large numbers, subtraction, and addition.
The Reverend William Taylor became supt. of the Yorkshire School for the Blind in 1836. While at the school he developed his "Ciphering Tablet." His calculating board is mentioned in the 1882 annual report of the British & Foreign Blind Association in essentially the same form as the model produced at APH. Although difficult to master, it possessed several advantages over its main rivals which used raised numbers, since each piece of type could be used it represent all ten numbers and the operatives, there was significantly less time wasted searching for a particular number. APH introduced its own Taylor Slate in 1938/1939, made from stainless steel. By 1953, the type was available in both lead and plastic. In 1956, APH began making the frame from anodized green aluminum, which changed to golden aluminum in 1969. The product was discontinued by 1972. Taylor slates were made by several manufacturers, including RNIB, AFB, and APH. |
| Dimensions |
H-12 W-7.375 D-0.5 inches |
| Material |
Stainless steel |
| People |
Taylor, William |
| Subjects |
Algebra
Arithmetic
Blind
Mathematics
Slates |
| Search Terms |
APH instructional aids, tools, and supplies |
| Credit line |
APH Collection, 1992.74. |
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