Journal of Technical Writing and Communication Jan 1996

William Stillman, Rhode Island Mechanician and Communicator—His Lock Patents and Acrostics

R. John Brockmann University of Delaware

Abstract

Focusing only on the famous and celebrated has skewed military and political history; focusing only on Oliver Evans, Lauchlan McKay, John W. Griffiths, Joseph Crane, and John H. Patterson could similarly skew our sense of American technical communication in the nineteenth century. Exploring the written work of an ordinary American mechanician of the nineteenth century, William Stillman of Rhode Island, could help balance our appraisal of nineteenth-century American technical communication. Reviewing the writing and graphics in his 1851 Miscellaneous Compositions, as well as his 1839 lock patent and 1836 bank lock instructions, reveals Stillman's ambidextrous abilities in using both text and graphics to communicate; abilities similar to his more famous fellow citizens. However, the three-dimensional qualities of his 1839 patent graphic reveals an unusual ability to mimic the biological methods in which the human eye sees three dimensions.

Journal
Journal of Technical Writing and Communication
Published
1996-01-01
DOI
10.2190/a434-9ebf-umce-8d8n
Open Access
Closed
Topics
artificial intelligence technical communication multilingual writers

Citation Context

Cited by in this index (4)

  1. Brockmann (2014)
    Catechesis of Technology: The Short Life of American Technical Catechism Genre …
    Journal of Technical Writing and Communication
  2. Moran et al. (2012)
    A Bibliography of Works Published in the History of Professional Communication …
    Journal of Technical Writing and Communication
  3. Johnson (2006)
    Prediscursive Technical Communication in the Early American Iron Industry
    Technical Communication Quarterly
  4. Todd (2003)
    Teaching the History of Technical Communication: A Lesson with Franklin and Hoover
    Journal of Technical Writing and Communication

Cites in this index (0)

No references match articles in this index.

CrossRef global citation count: 5 View in citation network →

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