2011.7.1a-b

4-line, 37 cell desk slate

American Printing House for the Blind

(a) Nickel alloy desk slate; four lines of 27 cells; .09 x .09 x .25 x .40 inch spacing format; pins down; piano hinge on short side, steel wire; two guide pins in bottom of lower frame to fit into a desk slate board; slight dimples in outer windows guide placement of stylus into recessed holes of cells in lower frame; raised line between two sets of two lines, raised dots between every five columns of cells; open end of top frame has a slightly raised finger pull, and the lower frame has a corresponding cutout on the end to facilitate opening; stamped "AMER. PRINTING HOUSE/FOR THE BLIND/LOUISVILLE, KY."; (b) Board features solid core jointed to two outer strips and faced on top and bottom with natural finish hardwood veneer; rounded vertical grooves cut on both sides which end 1" from the top of the board, each drilled with seven (7) peg holes; two holes drilled in center for slate storage; nickel alloy paper clamp riveted to top, pair of piano hinges on long sides flank a raised tube, two stamped pins-up on base of clamp, raised loop on front facilitates opening; stamped in blue ink on bottom front, "10831".

H-12.5 W-10 D-0.75 inches

ca. 1940

American Printing House for the Blind

Louisville, KY

According to the donor, used by Naomi Ruth (Jefferson) Foster (1896-1980) in St. Louis, MO. in work as a volunteer braille transcriber for the Works Progress Administration, ca. 1940. WPA supported many small braille transcription projects for blind and sighted workers at libraries across the U.S. in the 1930s. APH introduced its 37 cell desk slate in 1927. Nickel alloy replaced nickel plated brass in 1937. The 37 cell desk slate itself was discontinued in 1993. The paper clamp seen on this example was a new design which reproduced the clamp found on the Perkins Model 13 desk slate from the Howe Press.

Gift in memory of Naomi Ruth Foster, 2001.7.