Description: 1. ESCO has steel mounts and hard plastic body, C. 1930 2. Ebony with brass hardware, c. 1820 faintly inscribed G. Fuller on both sides of the wood and engraved G F on the brass. 3. Boxwood with protractor inscribed lines for degrees and marked Capt. Field's Improved, late 19th century.

History: Parallel rulers are a drafting instrument used by navigators to draw parallel lines on charts. The tool consists of two straight edges joined by two arms which allow them to move closer or further away while always remaining parallel to each other.The parallel ruler was invented in about 1584 by Fabrizio Mordente, but it was not in common use until the 18th century. Captain Field's Improved Parallel Rule In the 19th century, a Captain William Andrew Field (c. 1796 – 1871) improved the design by adding a protractor-style scale to the upper edge of one rule, and compass points to the opposing edge, which made reading bearings easier. Examples exist of boxwood, ivory or ebony, usually with brass hinges. The instrument usually had two links, but longer models sometimes had three, and sometimes the links were scissored. Another variation is the "roller" model which included a cylindrical roller for ease of use.History of ESCO: ESCO is proud to celebrate its 100th anniversary in 2013. The company was founded as a steel manufacturer that catered primarily to the Pacific Northwest timber industry and has grown into a global leader in wear parts and services for the mining, construction and industrial, and oil & gas industries. ESCO’s reputation is built from years of designing and manufacturing innovative products that make our customers productive and keep people safe. ESCO intends to continue using that formula as it embarks on its next 100 years.A Company is Founded The ESCO story began as the dream of Portland, Oregon industrialist C.F. Swigert. An executive with the Pacific Bridge Company, director of one of the city’s major streetcar lines, and president of the Port of Portland Commission, Swigert was deeply involved in the development of the “Rose City.” At the turn of the century, he saw the need for a local source of steel castings—for his own businesses, the growing wood products industry, and others. During a trip to Europe, Swigert took particular interest in the French technological innovation: an efficient melting furnace powered by electricity rather than coke or coal. Returning to Portland, C.F. Swigert founded the Electric Steel Foundry Company on July 13, 1913. The imported electric furnace—first of its kind in the western United States—would be the centerpiece of the small jobbing foundry. The site purchased for the business was on land recently used for the Lewis & Clark Exposition. The 1902 “World's Fair.”

Provenance: N/A

Dimensions: Weight (Pounds & Ounces) = 1.1 | Height(in) = 1 | Width(in) = 18 | Depth(in) = 3

Size of Artwork(in): 18 x 3 x .5 largest

Artist Name: Capt. Field's and ESCO

Medium: Ebony, boxwood

Circa: See description

1. Working with one missing a pad from the bottom. 2. Has an age check 3. Sticker removal mark.