Figure 14. — 1688; Frontispiece from John Brown, 

 The Description and Use of the Carpenter's Rule, Lon- 

 don, 1688. (Library of Congress.) 



evolution be appreciated and in the process, whether 

 pondering the metamorphosis of a plane, a brace and 

 bit, or an auger, the various stages of change encoun- 

 tered coincide with the rise of modern industrial 

 society. 



Configuration 



Hand tools are often neglected in the search for tlie 

 pleasing objects of the past. Considered too utili- 

 tarian, their decorative appeal — the mellow patina of 

 the wood plane or the delicately tapered legs of a pair 

 of dividers — often goes unnoticed. Suprisingly mod- 

 ern in design, the ancient carpenter's or cabinet- 

 maker's tool has a vitality of line that can, without 



Figure 15. — I 8th century: Cabinet- 

 maker's dividers of English origin. 

 (Private collection. Smithsonian 

 photo 49789-8.) 



reference to technical significance, make it an object of 

 considerable grace and beauty. The hand tool is 

 frequently a lively and decorative symbol of a society 

 at a given time — a symbol, which, according to the 

 judges at London's Crystal Palace Exhibition in 1851, 

 gives "indications of the peculiar condition and habits 

 of the people whence they come, of their social and 



194 



BULLETIN 24 1 : CONTRIBUTIONS FROM THE MUSEUM OF HISTORY AND TECHNOLOGY 



