
A Louis Payen Arithmometer, French, circa 1900, No. 3905, with nineteen digital displays, function lever and six 0-9 slider controls, in oak case with facility to angle the working surface, 11.5 x 21.5 x 18cm (4 1/2 x 8 1/2 x 7in) Footnotes: The Arithmometer was patented by Thomas de Colmar in France in 1820 and it was the first digital mechanical calculator robust enough and reliable enough to be used regularly in an office environment. This Arithmometer could add and subtract two numbers directly and could perform multiplications and divisions effectively by using a movable accumulator for the result. Manufactured from 1851 until 1915, it became the first commercially successful mechanical calculator and made it a key tool in the radical transition from written to mechanical calculation that took place during the second half of the 19th century. For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com For further information about this lot please visit the lot listing
































