Measuring & Mapping

Vernier Compass

Where, how far, and how much? People have invented an astonishing array of devices to answer seemingly simple questions like these. Measuring and mapping objects in the Museum's collections include the instruments of the famous—Thomas Jefferson's thermometer and a pocket compass used by Meriwether Lewis and William Clark on their expedition across the American West. A timing device was part of the pioneering motion studies of Eadweard Muybridge in the late 1800s. Time measurement is represented in clocks from simple sundials to precise chronometers for mapping, surveying, and finding longitude. Everyday objects tell part of the story, too, from tape measures and electrical meters to more than 300 scales to measure food and drink. Maps of many kinds fill out the collections, from railroad surveys to star charts.

Topic: Barometers

Aneroid Barometer

This small brass instrument, 2¾ inches diameter, was manufactured by Short & Mason in London and sold by the Taylor Instrument Companies in the United States. The U.S.
Description
This small brass instrument, 2¾ inches diameter, was manufactured by Short & Mason in London and sold by the Taylor Instrument Companies in the United States. The U.S. Weather Bureau transferred it to the Smithsonian in 1954.
The silvered face is marked “Compensated” and “No 1016” and “U.S. WEATHER BUREAU” and “SM / LONDON” and “Tycos,” The pressure scale around the circumference of the face reads from 28 to 31 inches of mercury, in .02 inches. A sticker on the back of the case reads “DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE / 9369 WBZ.”
The Taylor Instrument Companies began operating, as such, 1904, and introduced the Tycos trade mark in 1908.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1908-1950
maker
Short & Mason
ID Number
PH.314530
accession number
204612
catalog number
314530

Desk Set

This desk set came to the Smithsonian in 1900, in a “collection of ethnological, historical and technological objects” amassed by Anthony Gies, the Chief Inspector of Streets and Drainage in Manila.
Description
This desk set came to the Smithsonian in 1900, in a “collection of ethnological, historical and technological objects” amassed by Anthony Gies, the Chief Inspector of Streets and Drainage in Manila. According to Gies, it was found in the house of Emilio Aguinaldo, the revolutionary leader of the Philippines.
A metal base holds two circular instruments, each 3½ inches in diameter and 3 inches deep. One is a clock with an enamel face and two scales: Roman numerals for the hours and Arabic numerals for every 5 minutes. The other instrument is an aneroid barometer, also with an enamel face. This is marked ‘BAROMETRO ANEROÏDE.” The pressure scale extends from 68 to 80 centimeters of mercury, read to tenths. It is also marked “TEMPESTAD GeLluvia LloViento VARIABLE Buen To B.T.Fijo MUY SECO.” The space between these two instruments is filled with a mercury-in-glass thermometer mounted on a metal plate with two scales. This plate is marked “THERMOMETRO” and “CENTIGRADO” and “REAUMUR.” Above the thermometer is a magnetic compass, 1½ inches diameter.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
late 19th century
ID Number
PH.205532
accession number
36555
catalog number
205532

Mercury Barometer

Over the years, enormous ingenuity has been directed to the problem of designing a barometer that could be safely moved from one place to another. One solution was to have the cistern full during transport, and mechanically expanded to a proper size for actual use.
Description
Over the years, enormous ingenuity has been directed to the problem of designing a barometer that could be safely moved from one place to another. One solution was to have the cistern full during transport, and mechanically expanded to a proper size for actual use. This example is of that sort. The “Tonnelot à Paris” inscription refers to Jules Tonnelot, a Parisian who showed his meteorological instruments at the international exhibitions of 1878, 1889 and 1900.
Location
Currently not on view
maker
Tonnelot, Jules
ID Number
PH.308187
accession number
70852
catalog number
308187

Mercury Barometer

Nicolas Fortin, a prominent instrument maker in Paris in the early nineteenth century, introduced a mercury barometer with a glass and leather cistern so designed that the barometer could be safely moved from one place to another.
Description
Nicolas Fortin, a prominent instrument maker in Paris in the early nineteenth century, introduced a mercury barometer with a glass and leather cistern so designed that the barometer could be safely moved from one place to another. James Green began making Fortin-type barometers for the Smithsonian in the 1850s, though with a slightly different design to the cistern. This example marked “JAS GREEN N.Y. 1870” was made between 1849 when Green moved to New York, and 1879 when he took his nephew into partnership and began trading as J. & H.J. Green.
Ref: “Directions for Meteorological Observations,” in Smithsonian Miscellaneous Collections 19 (1860): 54-62.
"Green's Standard Barometer," in Henry J. Green, Meteorological and Scientific Instruments (Brooklyn, 1900), pp. 4-6.
C.F. Marvin, (Washington, D.C., 1894).
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1849-1879
maker
Green, James
ID Number
PH.328880
catalog number
328880
accession number
277916

Aneroid Barometer

This aneroid barometer belonged to Spencer Fullerton Baird, the naturalist who served as the second Secretary of the Smithsonian.
Description
This aneroid barometer belonged to Spencer Fullerton Baird, the naturalist who served as the second Secretary of the Smithsonian. The inscriptions on the face read “HOLOSTERIC BAROMETER” and “34964.” The “HPBN” inscription on the back refers to Naudet & Cie., a firm founded in Paris in 1860.
Location
Currently not on view
maker
Naudet & Cie.
ID Number
PH.284268
accession number
55865
catalog number
284268

Mercury Barometer

Theodore Ruggles Timby (1822-1909) was an American inventor with several hundred patents to his name, the most famous of which pertained to the rotating gun turret as used on the “Monitor” during the Civil War.
Description
Theodore Ruggles Timby (1822-1909) was an American inventor with several hundred patents to his name, the most famous of which pertained to the rotating gun turret as used on the “Monitor” during the Civil War. The first of his two barometer patents, issued in 1857, described an instrument in which the expansion of mercury with increase of temperature would not burst the tube. Scientific American praised Timby for having “succeeded in rendering this instrument perfectly portable,” going to predict “a speedy and universal adoption, especially among agriculturists, they more than any other class (save the mariners), need the counsel of this faithful monitor which leaves nothing to conjecture, but tells with promptness of the coming storm long before a threatening is visible in the sky.”
This example is marked “ALEXR MARSH SOLE PROPRIETORS and Manfs. For the UNITED STATES, OFFICE UNION BLOCK Worcester, Mass. TIMBY’S PATENT, Nov. 3rd 1857” as well as “The fall of the mercury indicates a STORM. The rise of the mercury indicates fair WEATHER.” The barometer scale extends from 27 to 31 inches of mercury. The attached alcohol-in-glass thermometer is graduated from -40 to +185 degrees Fahrenheit. It was probably made in the early 1860s.
Ref: Theodore R. Timby, “Barometer,” U.S. Patent 18,560 (1857).
“Another Important Step in Science,” Scientific American 14 (1858): 101.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1860s
maker
Marsh, Alexander
ID Number
PH.329178
accession number
280311
catalog number
329178

Aneroid Barometer

Jakob Goldschmid, a mechanic in Zurich, Switzerland, designed several aneroid barometers. This example was produced by the firm run by Rudolf Hottinger, who was Goldschmid’s son-in-law and successor. The face is marked “Aneroid Barometer / No.
Description
Jakob Goldschmid, a mechanic in Zurich, Switzerland, designed several aneroid barometers. This example was produced by the firm run by Rudolf Hottinger, who was Goldschmid’s son-in-law and successor. The face is marked “Aneroid Barometer / No. 3241” and “HOTTINGER & Cie / ZŰRICH” and carries a scale of correction tables. The internal tension spring is of the traditional curved form.
Ref.: "The Goldschmid Aneroid," Van Nostrand's Engineering Magazine 25 (1881): 300-303.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1881
maker
Hottinger & Cie.
ID Number
PH.314546
accession number
204612
catalog number
314546

Aneroid Barometer

Blackened steel aneroid barometer 3 inches in diameter. The inscriptions on the silvered face read“COMPENSATED FOR TEMPERATURE” and “Taylor Instrument Companies / ROCHESTER, N.Y., U.S.A. / E.D. No.
Description
Blackened steel aneroid barometer 3 inches in diameter. The inscriptions on the silvered face read“COMPENSATED FOR TEMPERATURE” and “Taylor Instrument Companies / ROCHESTER, N.Y., U.S.A. / E.D. No. 1567.” The altitude scale around the circumference of the face reads from -200 to +1800 meters, every 10 meters; and from -1000 to +6000 feet, every 20 feet. The pressure scale reads from 24 to 31 inches of mercury. The back of the instrument is stamped “1415.” There is a leather case with strap.
The Taylor Instrument Companies began operating, as such, 1904. The “E.D.” in the inscription may refer to the U.S. Army Engineer District.
Location
Currently not on view
maker
Taylor Instrument Co.
ID Number
PH.325679
accession number
257193
catalog number
325679

Aneroid Barometer

The face of this barometer is marked “COMPENSATED FOR TEMPERATURE” and “Tycos / ROCHESTER, N.Y. U.S.A.” The pressure scale around the circumference reads from 25.8 to 81 inches of mercury.
Description
The face of this barometer is marked “COMPENSATED FOR TEMPERATURE” and “Tycos / ROCHESTER, N.Y. U.S.A.” The pressure scale around the circumference reads from 25.8 to 81 inches of mercury. The altitude scale reads from zero to 5000 feet; and, it can be rotated by means of a milled ring, so that the height of the starting point can be set to the current pressure. The Taylor Instrument Companies began operating, as such, 1904, introduced the Tycos trade mark in 1908, and donated this example to the Smithsonian in 1923.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1919
maker
Taylor Instrument Co.
ID Number
PH.308169
catalog number
308169
accession number
70532

Aneroid Barometer

Jakob Goldschmid, a mechanic in Zurich, Switzerland, designed an aneroid barometer that promised great stability, but that had to be adjusted before each reading. This example was manufactured by the firm run by Rudolf Hottinger, who was Goldschmid’s son-in-law and successor.
Description
Jakob Goldschmid, a mechanic in Zurich, Switzerland, designed an aneroid barometer that promised great stability, but that had to be adjusted before each reading. This example was manufactured by the firm run by Rudolf Hottinger, who was Goldschmid’s son-in-law and successor. It has an eyepiece for viewing the internal mechanism, and a thermometer for determining the internal temperature. The inscription on the cap reads “Hottinger & Co. Zürich / No. 1132.”
Ref.: "The Goldschmid Aneroid," Van Nostrand's Engineering Magazine 25 (1881): 300-303.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1870-1883
maker
Hottinger & Cie.
ID Number
PH.314549
accession number
204612
catalog number
314549

Aneroid Barometer

This is a brass instrument, 5¼ inches diameter and 2½ inches deep.
Description
This is a brass instrument, 5¼ inches diameter and 2½ inches deep. The inscriptions on the metal face read “Stormoguide” and “COMPENSATED FOR TEMPERATURE” and “Tycos” and “UNITED STATES COPYRIGHT 1922 TAYLOR INSTRUMENT COMPANIES, ROCHESTER, N.Y.” The pressure scale around the circumference reads from 27.5 to 31.5 inches of mercury, in fifths of an inch. Letters around the scale, running from A to K, correlate with various weather conditions.
An altitude scale on the back of the instrument extends from 0 to 3500 feet, and reads: “ROTATE THIS PLATE UNTIL THE ARROW ON THE CASE POINTS TO THE ALTITUDE OF YOUR LOCALITY PATENTED AUGUST 18-1914”
The Stormoguide was based on a design developed by Francis E. Collinson of London, England. It was widely promoted for domestic and amateur use.
The Taylor Instrument Companies began operating, as such, 1904, and introduced the Tycos trade mark in 1908. It obtained a copyright on the term Stormoguide in 1922, and advertised it as a simplified barometer that indicated weather probabilities for 12 to 24 hours in advance. It gave this example to the Smithsonian in 1923.
Ref: Francis E. Collinson, “Barometer,” U.S. Patent 1,107,496 (1914).
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1922
ID Number
PH.308170
catalog number
308170
accession number
70532

Wheel Barometer

Invented in the 1660s by Robert Hooke, the "curator of experiments" in the new Royal Society of London, the “wheel” or “banjo” barometer has a tube that is bent into a J shape; a float, sitting on the shorter end of the tube, connects with a circular scale that is large and easil
Description
Invented in the 1660s by Robert Hooke, the "curator of experiments" in the new Royal Society of London, the “wheel” or “banjo” barometer has a tube that is bent into a J shape; a float, sitting on the shorter end of the tube, connects with a circular scale that is large and easily read. Barometers of this sort have long been popular for domestic use. This example is marked “D. Fagioli & Son, 39 Warner St Clerkenwell” and was made in London, perhaps in the 1840s. The dial reads from 28 to 31 inches of mercury. In addition to the barometer itself, there is a twisted gut hygrometer, a spirit thermometer, and a convex mirror. The Taylor Instrument companies gave it to the Smithsonian in 1923.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1839-1854
maker
Dominic Fagioli & Son
ID Number
PH.308173
accession number
70532
catalog number
308173

Aneroid Barometer

Jakob Goldschmid, a mechanic in Zurich, Switzerland, designed an aneroid barometer that promised great stability, but that had to be adjusted before each reading. This example was manufactured by the firm run by Rudolf Hottinger, who was Goldschmid’s son-in-law and successor.
Description
Jakob Goldschmid, a mechanic in Zurich, Switzerland, designed an aneroid barometer that promised great stability, but that had to be adjusted before each reading. This example was manufactured by the firm run by Rudolf Hottinger, who was Goldschmid’s son-in-law and successor. It has an eyepiece for viewing the internal mechanism, and a thermometer for determining the internal temperature. The face is marked “Ship-Barometer / No. 116” and “HOTTINGER & CO. / ZURICH” and also carries a scale of correction tables. A printed card with diagram and instructions for use, in English, is mounted inside the case.
Ref.: "The Goldschmid Aneroid," Van Nostrand's Engineering Magazine 25 (1881): 300-303.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1870-1883
maker
Hottinger & Cie.
ID Number
PH.314545
accession number
204612
catalog number
314545

Aneroid Barometer

Lucien Vidie was a Frenchman who made the first satisfactory metallic barometer in 1843, and obtained his first patents in 1844. For the mechanism he used a corrugated diaphragm supported by 33 helical springs encased in a strong evacuated metal box.
Description
Lucien Vidie was a Frenchman who made the first satisfactory metallic barometer in 1843, and obtained his first patents in 1844. For the mechanism he used a corrugated diaphragm supported by 33 helical springs encased in a strong evacuated metal box. This example is of that form, but probably not of Vidie’s manufacture. The face is marked “BARÓMETRO ANEROIDE” as well as “TEMPESTAD,” “LLÚVIA Ó VIENTO,” “VARIABLE,” “BUEN TIEMP,” and “CONSTANTE.” The scale extends from 17.5 to 31.5 inches of mercury, and from 68 to 80 cm of mercury. The Taylor Instrument Companies donated it to the Smithsonian in 1923.
Ref.: W.E.K. Middleton, (Baltimore, 1964), pp. 400-406.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1845-1923
ID Number
PH.308166
catalog number
308166
accession number
70532

Mercury Barometer

In 1854, in the interest of safety and economy, the British Parliament authorized the establishment of a uniform system of meteorological observations at sea and the formation of a Meteorological Office within the Board of Trade.
Description
In 1854, in the interest of safety and economy, the British Parliament authorized the establishment of a uniform system of meteorological observations at sea and the formation of a Meteorological Office within the Board of Trade. Under the leadership of Vice-Admiral Robert FitzRoy, the Met Office issued a call for a barometer suitable for use by the Royal Navy. Patrick Adie got the contract, and the Kew Observatory tested each barometer before it was sent out. Matthew F. Maury, director of the U.S. Naval Observatory, reported in 1855 that he had ordered many barometers of this sort for the U.S. Navy.
This example is marked “ADIE, LONDON No 1710” and “SIGNAL SERVICE U.S. ARMY For Comparison of Barometers for International Simultaneous Meteorological Reports.” It may have been acquired by the Signal Service soon after the start of a weather service in 1870; it was last calibrated by the Weather Bureau in 1970.
Ref.: Sara Dry, “Fishermen and Forecasts: How Barometers Helped Make the Meteorological Department Safer in Victorian Britain,” Center for Analysis of Risk and Regulation Discussion Paper 46 (2007).
M.F. Maury, Explanation and Sailing Directions to Accompany the Wind and Current Charts (Philadelphia, 1855), p. 639.
Report of the Chief Signal Officer to the Secretary of War for the Fiscal Year Ending June 30, 1881, p. 1128.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1854-1881
maker
Adie, Patrick
ID Number
PH.333822
accession number
304553
catalog number
333822

Aneroid Barometer

Following in his father’s footsteps, Edwin Kendall (b. 1812) manufactured thermometers in New Lebanon, New York. By the 1850s he was making aneroid barometers as well, and aiming his advertising at farmers. This example has a paper plate marked “ANEROID BAROMETER / E.
Description
Following in his father’s footsteps, Edwin Kendall (b. 1812) manufactured thermometers in New Lebanon, New York. By the 1850s he was making aneroid barometers as well, and aiming his advertising at farmers. This example has a paper plate marked “ANEROID BAROMETER / E. KENDALL / NEW LEBANON SPA. / N.Y.” The scale around the circumference extends from 24 to 32 inches of mercury, and is graduated to .02 inches. One hand indicates the current pressure, and the other a previous one.
Ref.: S.C. Turner, "The Kendall Family: Thermometer and Barometer Makers," Rittenhouse 7 (1992): 16-27.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1860s
maker
Kendall, Edwin
ID Number
1990.0230.01
catalog number
1990.0230.01
accession number
1990.0230

Aneroid Barograph

The U.S. Geological Survey transferred this barograph to the Smithsonian in 1910. The base is marked “RF / PARIS” and “673.” The cover is missing. Felix Richard began making aneroid barographs in Paris in 1845.
Description
The U.S. Geological Survey transferred this barograph to the Smithsonian in 1910. The base is marked “RF / PARIS” and “673.” The cover is missing. Felix Richard began making aneroid barographs in Paris in 1845. His son, Jules Richard (1848-1930) took over the business in 1876 and, in 1880, introduced a barograph with eight aneroid shells acting as a single aneroid chamber (as in this instance). The firm began trading as Richard Frères in 1882, and became Jules Richard in 1891.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1888-1909
maker
Richard Freres
ID Number
PH.252981
accession number
49676
catalog number
252981

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