Eduard Friedrich Wilhelm Oldendorp (*1795;†1887)

Hunäus; Die geometrischen Instrumente der gesammten praktischen Geometrie, deren Theorie, Beschreibung und Gebrauch, Carl Rümpler, Hannover, 1864. Google Books.
Hunäus; Die geometrischen Instrumente der gesammten praktischen Geometrie, deren Theorie, Beschreibung und Gebrauch, Carl Rümpler, Hannover, 1864. Google Books.

Eduard Friedrich Wilhelm Oldendorp born 17 October 17, 1795 in Eitzendorf / Hoya, died 7 May 1887 in Celle. His father was Pastor Georg Friedrich Oldendorp and his mother Eleonore Marie Sophie Bartels. He exhibited a talent for drawing from a very young age, but lacked the training to make it his occupation. Indeed, as he writes in his self-published "Lebensgeschichte und Erfahrungen 1795-1881", he regarded his artistic talent as being insufficient. He learned the profession of surveyor and took the exam in Hanover in 1816. His first survey as a geometer was a major commission in Wietzenbruch near Celle. In 1833 he became Kgl. Landes-Oeconomie- Commissair and appointed Ober-Oeconomie-Commissair in 1857. In 1876 he retired and last lived in Celle. In 1831 he received the "Golden Medal" from Ernst Augustus, King of Hanover for the invention of a Planimeterzirkel in 1826, an instrument for easy and reliable calculation of the surface area. Hunting game and painting were his favorite pastimes. Two watercolors by Oldendorp of the Rittergut Langlingen dated 1873 are extant.

An unsigned Hunderterzirkel, or planimeterzirkel with a recording wheel used with a harp-planimeter for calculating the area of an irregular figure on a map or a chart. Unsigned, but likely made by A. Frerk & Sohn (Celle & Hannover) from whom we have an identical example of a Hunderterzirkel in a comprehensive drawing set, and probably dates from around 1850-1875. 

Planimeterzirkel retailed by Robert Reiss in Liebenwerda. The case measures 170x102x14mm.

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NOTES / REFERENCES 

[1] Verhandlungen des Vereins zur Beförderung des Gewerbefleißes in Preußen, Elfter Jahrgang, Berlin, 1832, p.200.

[2] Rechnerlexikon Oldendorp Planimeter and http://rechnerlexikon.de/artikel/Nichtintegrierendes_Planimeter

[3] Hof- und Staats-Handbuch für das Königreich Hannover 1835-1867; Wikisource: Staatshandbücher und -kalender

[4] Eduard Friedrich Wilhelm OLDENDORP  *17.10.1795 in Eitzendorf. Father: Georg Friedrich OLDENDORP *31.01.1752 in Lavelsloh. Mother: Eleonore Marie Sophie BARTELS *15.03.1766. Spouse: Auguste MYLIUS  *18.06.1808 in Celle DE-NI. Daughter: Marie OLDENDORP *1839 in Meinholz. [Genealogy.net]

[5] Göttingen Collection of Mathematical Models and Instruments Oldendorp Harp-planimeter

[6] Gravenhorst, F.; Die Construction und Anwendung eines Flächenmaassstabes beim Gebrauch des Planimeterzirkels, Cöslin 1864.

[Google Books].

[7] Schikorsky, Isa; Private Schriftlichkeit im 19. Jahrhundert: Untersuchungen zur Geschichte. De Gruyter, Max Niemeyer, Tübingen 1990, p.421.  

[8] Mylius, Horst Gering; Geschichte der Familien Mylius-Schleiz aus dem Hause Gerung und Mylius-Ansbach 1375-1990 : Neubearbeitung der Familienchroniken von 1895, 1917 und 1959 und deren Ergänzung bis zur Gegenwart.

[9] Also see the roulette de Dupuit and the ytberäknaren patented in 1861 by land surveyor Nils Fredrik Liedbeck.

[10] Flächenmaassstäbe. Vom Landmesser Lehrke in Cassel. Wochenzeitschrift des ö. Ingenieur- und Architektenvereins 1888, p.371-372. [ANNO]