| Description Of Item | This briefcase, made of wood and cardboard, is divided into a series of compartments to house the kit. The latches on the case are broken.
The kit is designed for non-professional forensic analysis. The owner was J D Church, of Virginia, America. It is believed that he purchased it with the aim of carrying out work as a private investigator.
The kit was sold by Thomas Grant Cooke, 1920 Sunnyside Avenue, Chicago, Illinois. Cook was a civil engineer who co-founded ‘Evan’s University’, later known as the Institute of Applied Science. This body focused on teaching forensic techniques, particularly fingerprint analysis. Cooke also authored a number of books, including ‘Secret Service Crime Detection’.
The case contains: unused latent fingerprint cards, an empty box that contained a tripod magnifier lens (but the lens is missing), an ink roller, a damaged leaky fingerprint ink tube, a wrapper of absorbent cotton, a fingerprint ridge counter and the remnants of a fingerprintpowder brush (the bristles have become separated). The set also includes an old agency application form and an order form and price guide for supplies from T G Cooke. |