Octant with mahogany frame, flat brass index arm with ornate floral pattern, and ivory name plate. The ivory scale is graduated every 20 minutes from -5° to +95° and read by vernier to single minutes of arc. There is also a back sight and a back horizon glass that could be used to measure angles greater than 90°. The "QUINCY, MAKER, N. YORK" inscription refers to J. Quincy, a mathematical instrument maker in New York City in the 1780s. In the stepped wooden box is a trade card of William Hooker, who operated a nautical shop in New York around 1820.
Ref: Deborah J. Warner, "American Octants and Sextants: The Early Years," Rittenhouse 3 (1989): 86-112, on 107.
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.