Mercury Barometer

Description:

Nicolas Fortin, an 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 “Henry J. Green, New York” was made between 1885, when James Green retired and his nephew began trading under his own name, and 1890 when Henry J. Green moved to Brooklyn.

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, Barometers and the Measurement of Atmospheric Pressure (Washington, D.C., 1894).

Date Made: 1885-1890

Maker: H. J. Green

Location: Currently not on view

Place Made: United States: New York, New York City

See more items in: Medicine and Science: Physical Sciences, Barometers, Measuring & Mapping

Exhibition:

Exhibition Location:

Credit Line: Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory

Data Source: National Museum of American History

Id Number: PH.314942Catalog Number: 314942Accession Number: 212900

Object Name: barometer

Measurements: overall: 110.5 cm x 7 cm; 43 1/2 in x 2 3/4 inoverall: 43 1/2 in x 2 3/4 in; 110.49 cm x 6.985 cm

Guid: http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ng49ca746aa-386d-704b-e053-15f76fa0b4fa

Record Id: nmah_1184250

Our collection database is a work in progress. We may update this record based on further research and review. Learn more about our approach to sharing our collection online.

If you would like to know how you can use content on this page, see the Smithsonian's Terms of Use. If you need to request an image for publication or other use, please visit Rights and Reproductions.