Fritz Hölbe (fl. 1869-1900), Holzminden.

A drawing set with a label Fritz Hölbe Mechaniker Holzminden a/d Weser. Two compasses along with 4 attachments are missing from this set. Holzminden is a town situated on the river Weser in southern Lower Saxony, Germany. Fritz Hölbe established his workshop in 1869, specialising in the manufacture of drawing instruments. In 1871 he had a workforce of 4 and in that year produced 140 drawing sets. He was a participant at the Vienna World Exposition of 1873 [1], the Baugewerbliche Ausstellung in Braunschweig in 1881 [12], and at the World's Fair held in Antwerp, Belgium in 1894 [6].

This set features a compass with a 'turn-about' at one end, with at the other end a telescopic leg extension. This type of telescopic leg-extension is perhaps inspired by Lebrun's compas à rallonges, patented in 1844 by Désiré Lebrun, Rue Grenetat 4, Paris. The drop-bow in this set is similar to the Verbesserter Nullenzirkel in the #5 German drawing set, 19th century. One of the earliest drop-bows (1849) or Fallnullenzirkel is one by Mechanikus Friedrich Kneller of Ingelfingen, Baden-Württemberg, Germany.

Other turn-about compasses with telescopic extensions

Fig. 1. Lebrun's 'compas à rallonges', patented in 1844 by Désiré Lebrun, Rue Grenetat 4, Paris. [11]

Fig. 2. Brunel's or Tube Compasses. As an all-in-one instrument tube or tubular compasses were especially popular throughout the 19th century. Their invention is attributed to Brunel, and therefore also called Brunel's Compasses. Seeing that the earliest reference we could find in Adams' Geometrical and Graphical Essays revised edition of 1823 (see Hambly page 72), the inventor is likely French civil engineer Sir Marc Isambard Brunel (*1769;†1849) and not his son Isambard Kingdom Brunel (*1806;†1859). [9]

Fig. 3. Thomas Bermingham (Dublin) displayed an improved version of Lebrun's compass at the Great Exhibition in London in 1851. According to the above description it was made by Elliot (sic), probably William Elliott & Sons, (56 Strand, London) active 1850-53.[10] 

________________________

NOTES / REFERENCES

[1] Wiener Weltausstellung 1873. Amtlicher Katalog der Ausstellung des Deutschen Reiches 1873. [Google Books]. 

[2] Bulletin de la Société d'encouragement pour l'industrie nationale, volume 43, page 379-380. [Google Books].

[3] Polytechnisches Journal, Jahrgang 1844, Band 94, Nr. XCVIII. (S. 420-422). 

[4] Rudolf Hölbe (not to be confused with the sculptor of the same name) a maker / retailer of drawing sets in Holzminden, possibly the son and successor to Fritz Hölbe, known to have been active from around 1904 to 1916. See: Der Praktische Maschinen-Konstrukteur und Fertigungsingenieur, Volume 37, 1904, page 219. There is also an A. C. Hölbe Reisszeugfabrik in Holzmindensee ill. in left margin. Unclear if or how this company is related to Fritz Hölbe or Rudolf Hölbe.

[5] In the 1920s Ecobra (drawing instrument manufacturer in Nuremberg) introduced their Ecobra-telescop compass. Also Johann Chr. Lotter constructed compass with a telescopic extension in the mid 1920s. [TKL 1927, p.87-91.]

[6] Exposition Universelle d'Anvers 1894 Catalogue officiel général, p.12. [Google Books].

[7] Muster- und Modell-Registrirungen Bei der Handels- und Gewerbekammer in Wien... Am 16. März 1893...Nestler & Roesler, Schreibrequisitenhändler in Wien, I., Nibelungengasse 10. — 2 Muster, versiegelt: 1 Füllreißfeder und 1 Zirkel mit ausziehbarer Verlängerung. —  Schutzfrist 3 Jahre. [Amtsblatt zur Wiener Zeitung und Central-Anzeiger für Handel und Gewerbe. Nr. 89., Mittwoch, den 19. April.]

[8] Hölbe's telescopic extension and turn-about compassses in REISS 1886 catalogue p.25. 

[9] Pike's illustrated descriptive catalogue of optical, mathematical, and philosophical instruments, 1856, Vol. 1., p. 29, NIH, U.S. National Library of Medicine, Digital Collections. 

[10] Great Exhibition 1851, Official descriptive and Illustrated Catalogue Part II Classes V. to X. Machinery, p. 310. [E-rara.ch]

[11] RAPPORT fait par M. Vauvilliers, au nom du comité des arts mécaniques, sur les boites de mathématiques de M. Lebrun, rue Grenetat, 4. Bulletin de la Société d'Encouragement pour l'Industrie Nationale, Vol. 1844. 43e année. N. 379-380. [CNUM/CNAM]

[12] Archiv für kirchliche Kunst: Organ für die Gesammtinteressen der ..., Volume 5, 1881, p.64 [GoogleBooks]