Clothespin-style Clamp Drawing: Museum Object and Cultural History
Clothespin-style Clamp Drawing: designer: Bone, A. R.. Object Name: drawing. Physical Description: paper (overall material).
The object in the museum catalogue
This pencil on paper drawing was made by Arnold R. Bone. It is a drawing of a brass clothespin-style clamp used in bow making and repair (See Cat. #2002.0167.16). Bone would design and make custom tools for bow making and repair.
Arnold R. Bone (July 26, 1913 - August 9, 2001) was an engineer, inventor, gunsmith, string instrument bowmaker. He grew up in South Ryegate, Vermont, and graduated from Wentworth Institute in 1935. After graduation, Bone worked at Irwin Auger Bit Company in Wilmington, Ohio before returning to Wentworth to teach Navy machinist mates during World War II until 1944. The final part of his career, Bone worked at Dennison Mfg. Company in Framingham (now Avery Dennison) when he retired in 2000.
Arnold R. Bone held numerous patents at Dennison, including several for the Swiftacher, the device for attaching tags to clothing with a nylon filament. His ubiquitous fasteners are still used today. Bone applied his engineering and master craftsman skills to making string instrument bows, and also became one of the world's most respected experts on repair and restoration of fine bows. His customers ranged from young students to members of professional ensembles such as the Boston Symphony Orchestra, and bows were shipped to him from all over the world.
Materials, dates and provenance
- designer: Bone, A. R.
- Object Name: drawing
- Physical Description: paper (overall material)
- Physical Description: pencil (overall material)
- Measurements: overall: 3 1/8 in x 5 1/8 in; 7.9375 cm x 13.0175 cm
- ID Number: 2002.0167.32.13
- catalog number: 2002.0167.32.13
- accession number: 2002.0167
- Credit Line: Gift of Leona M. Bone Trust
- Data Source: National Museum of American History
Sources and reuse
Catalogue descriptions and facts adapted from National Museum of American History through the Smithsonian's official Open Access dataset. This record explicitly marks its metadata CC0 1.0; formatting and selection have been changed.
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