Sending a Thing Aloft by the Force of Wind
A slatted vane-cross with frame and rack-and-tackle, and a note on stretching cloth
This verso sketches a mechanism 'to send a thing aloft by the force of the wind.' At its centre a rod carries two slatted vanes or sails set crosswise; above it is a large toothed frame carried on posts, and below runs a long rack fitted with hooks together with a coiled rope-and-pulley tackle. A note written within the cloth explains that it shows the way to stretch or tension it for painting. The drawings dominate the sheet, with only these two brief captions transcribed.
On this page
A device to raise a thing by the force of the wind
The page is captioned as a way to send a thing aloft by the force of the wind. The central rod-and-vane assembly presents broad slatted surfaces to catch the wind and drive the mechanism upward.
Stretching the cloth in order to paint it
A phrase written inside the drawn cloth notes that it demonstrates the way to stretch or tension it for painting, treating the fabric as a surface to be prepared and depicted.
Toothed frame, rack and rope tackle
Above the vanes a large rectangular toothed frame rests on upright posts, and along the foot of the page runs a long toothed rack hung with hooks and served by a coiled rope-and-pulley tackle at the left. Together they form the lifting gear for the wind device.