| Artist |
Taylor, William |
| Date |
ca. 1965 |
| Description |
Light blue molded plastic body, rounded recessed tray with two compartments at top; brown bakelite table riveted to body, stamped with 24x36 grid of octagonal starburst holes; rounded corners. |
| Dimensions |
H-12 W-14.5 D-0.5 inches |
| Dimension notes |
31.3 x 37 x 1 cm. |
| Year Range from |
1963 |
| Year range to |
1977 |
| Made |
Royal National Institute for the Blind |
| Material |
Bakelite, plastic |
| Object ID |
1992.77 |
| Object Name |
Slate, Arithmetic |
| Place of Origin |
England |
| People |
Taylor, William |
| Provenance/History |
Called a desk version of the Taylor Slate in the 1977 RNIB Catalog. The main purpose of this device is 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. |
| Search Terms |
Royal National Institute for the Blind |
| Subjects |
Blind.
Arithmetic.
Algebra.
Mathematics.
Slates.
Instructional aids, tools, and supplies |
| Title |
Taylor Slate |
|
