E. O. Richter & Co.

Around 1868 Emil Oscar Richter (*1841;†1905) establishes a clockmaker's workshop at Poststrasse 15 in Chemnitz. In 1874 he invents his dotting pen, and his drop bow compass in 1875. His revolutionary flat system of drawing instruments was developed in 1892. In 1875 Richter and business partner Hugo Lucas Müller establish E.O. Richter & Co. From 1883 to 1894 Richter's business partner is Carl Hermann Bonitz (*1840;†1895). From 1898 to 1900 Richter's head clerk is Emil Arno Steidtmann, who along with instrument-maker Emil Otto Roitzsch both leave Richter in 1900 to establish their own drawing instrument company Steidtmann & Roitzsch. After Richter's death his widow Auguste Richter became the company's proprietor. Richter's son Hans Richter, who until then held the post of head clerk (Prokurist) became the proprietor in 1908. Richter's monopoly of the flat pattern production ended when the compass joint patent ran out in 1907.

Fig.1. Richter's drop bow compass patented 1874, and Richter's dotting pen patented 1875 [5].

Fig.2. and 3. Richter's section-liner patented 1876, note Richter's trademark [6][13].

Fig.4. Richter's compass joint patented 1892, patent DE68967.   

Fig.5. Richter advertisement 1879 [1].

Fig.6. E.O. Richter trademark [reg.no.46443 DPMA register 07.11.1900].

Fig.7. Richter's straightening device DRGM 208730 patented in 1903 [Dietzgen 1907/08 Catalogue].

Fig.8. Richter drawing instruments in 1882 [10][13].

Two early Richter sets

Fig. 9. Richter drawing set c. 1880. This set includes the Stab-Abstechzirkel (calipers) and the Stab-Einsatzzirkel, (beam compass), see fig. 8 above and description in [13].

Fig.10. Richter drawing set c. 1880 details. The springbow in this set has unusual triangular points. The side of the compass is engraved with D.R. Pat. 

Fig.11. Richter drawing set c. 1890, the 2 compasses Universalzirkel DE16850 patented in 1881.

Fig.12. Richter drawing set c. 1890 showing the Richter hallmark on the springbow and compasses.

Fig.13 and 14. Richter's broad stroke fountain ruling pen (Breitstrich-Füllreissfeder) patented in 1923, DRGM 881903. Richter also made a somewhat similar fountain ruling pen (Reissfeder mit Fülleinrichtung) based on a patent by Rudolf Schmutzler in 1923 DE398274 [12].

Fig.15. Richter double drop bow is not recorded in any known catalogue. Patent is also not recorded at Depatisnet [8]. The Richter logo on the case indicates a production date prior to WW2.

Fig.16. Richter aluminium broad stroke ruling pen (Breitstrich-Ziehfeder) DRGM 869921 and DE444477 patented in 1924 [Depatisnet].

Fig.17 and 18. Two dotting pens (or dotters) one for straight lines and the second one for drawing circles. Both were retailed by Gebr. Wichmann in Berlin, a distributor of drawing and surveying instruments. The company was founded by Emil Wichmann who in 1873 opened a shop in drawing supplies in Karlstrasse 14 in Berlin. Renamed Gebr. Wichmann when his brother Gustav joined the company in 1876 [9]. 

Fig.19. and 20. Richter proportional divider, length 230mm, with a micrometer setting bar. There are 2 graduated scales; one for circles and one for lines.

Fig. 21. drawing set retailed by instrument makers Becker & Buddingh (fl 1855-1906) in Arnhem.  

Fig. 22. proportional dividers retailed by Johannes Philippus Bladergroen (*1855-†1922), son of printer and bookseller Jacobus Pieter Bladergroen I (*1825;†1903). Johannes Philippus founded a stationary shop around 1900 at Raadhuisstraat 30-32 in Amsterdam. He is joined by his brother Wouter Jacobus in 1906. Another son Jacobus Pieter Bladergroen II (*1864;†1913) ran a stationary shop at Nieuwehaven 153 in Rotterdam and Oude Delft 125 in Delft [Delftsche courant 03-09-1906, KB Delpher]. 

Fig. 23. wing dividers retailed by Jacobus Pieter Bladergroen III (*1878;†1956), son of Johannes Philippus  established a stationary shop in the Prinsestraat 3 in the Hague in 1902. 

Fig. 24. 'Reform' drawing set retailed by instrument maker Julius Antusch, Schützengasse 25 in Reichenberg. (Liberec, Czech Republic)

Fig. 25. 'Schola' V aS. brass student drawing set.

Fig. 26. ruling pen set retailed by Versandhaus für Vermessungswesen in Kassel, founded in 1903 [14].

Fig. 27. pricker, for copying drawings, in a very small case. 

Fig. 28. VIP drawing set retailed by B.J. Hesselink (*1870;†1959) trading agent in Amsterdam.

Fig. 29. Richter logarithmischer Zirkel [15].

Fig. 30. Richter logarithmischer Zirkel in Richter's 1928 catalogue.

Fig. 31. Richter Schichtenzähler (or Schichtenteiler) retailed by Gebrüder Wichmann c. 1910 in Berlin. For the exact division of a course of brickwork on construction drawings on a scale of 1: 100. After inking up the wheel on the ink pad, the divisions of the wheels can easily be rolled onto the drawing paper along a straight edge. 

Fig. 32. Auxillary drawing tools in Richter's 1928 catalogue with nr. 694 'Schichtenzähler'. 

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NOTES / REFERENCES

[1] E.O. Richter; 'Die Hilfsmittel zum Linearzeichnen' in Notiz-Kalender fur Uhrmacher 1879, p. 162-171. [SLUB]

[2] 'Reisszeugfabrik E.O. Richter & Co.' in Chemnitz am Ende des XIX Jahrhunderts in Wort und Bild (undated, ca. 1900). [SLUB]

[3] STARCK, Georg; Die Entwicklung der Deutschen Reißzeugindustrie, Universitätsverlag von Robert Noske in Borna-Leipzig, 1925.

[4] Festschrift zur 39. Hauptversammlung des Vereins Deutscher Ingenieure, Chemnitz 1898, p.270. [SLUB] 

[5] Patent-Nullen-Zirkel p. 254 and Tafel V Patent-Punctirfeder p.394 and Tafel VII Deutsche Industrie Zeitung 1875. 'Verbesserte Federzirkel' patented 22-09-1874 Deutsche Industrie Zeitung 1874 p.460; 'Punctirfeder' patented 05-06-1875 Deutsche Industrie Zeitung 1875 p.310. [SLUB]

[6] Section-liner, beam compass, 4-blade border ruling pen; 'Reissfeder mit Rubinspitzen' Deutsche Industrie Zeitung 1876 p. 204. 'Schraffierlineal' patented 04-02-1876 p.100 Deutsche Industrie Zeitung 1876. [SLUB]

[7] Dr.-Ing.h.c.F.M. Feldhaus; Zum Jubileum der Punktierfeder in Die Uhrmacher Woche 1925, p. 761. [SLUB]

[8] The first recorded double drop bow is in an unillustrated advertisement in 1849 by Carl Geiger Mechanikus and Optikus in Stuttgart Germany (Preis-Verzeichnis Carl Geiger, 'Doppelter Nullenzirkel', Gewerbeblatt aus Württemberg No. 22, 27-10-1849, p. 379). DEPATISnet has no patent listed for a Richter double drop bow, however we find a 'Grenzsteinzirkel' DRP 51307 patented by Gartz in 1889, a 'Grenzsteinzirkel' DRP 338756 patented by August Staufermann in 1921, 2 patents by Erich Linnhoff for a double drop bow, patents 1214416A and 1214416B dated 1966, patent US3335497 (1967) scribing instrument by Charles H. Stein and William Krause, assigned to K&E. 

[9] 100 Jahre Gebr. Wichmann in Vermessungswesen und Raumordnung: VR 1973. Vol. 35, p.222.  

[10] Le Technologiste - 1882. Quarante-quatrième année. Troisième série. Tome cinquième (1882) - Instruments de mathématiques et de dessin. - E. Richter et Cie. [CNUM/CNAM]

[11] Reisszeug von EO Richter & Co in Chemnitz; Deutsches Jahrbuch über die Leistungen und Fortschritte auf den Gebieten der Theorie und Praxis der Baugewerbe, p.702-705. [Google Books] [Bavarikon]

[12] Feldhaus makes mention of a fountain ruling pen by Frenchman Jolicar in 1864, Brevet n° 61984. [Feldhaus 1959, p.88.]. An even earlier fountain ruling pen is described in an 1827 article: 'Ueber eine französische Reißfeder' [Magazin der neuesten Erfindungen, Entdeckungen...1827, Bavarikon]

[13] Deutsches Jahrbuch über die Leistungen und Fortschritte auf den Gebieten der Theorie und Praxis der Baugewerbe. 7. 1876 (1877), p.702-705. [Bavarikon].

[14] Wasser und Boden 9/51, p.213, [InternetArchive]

[15] Werner H. Rudowski; Der logarithmischer Zirkel