Barometer (Thermometer)

  • Category:

    Clocks, Watches, and Scientific Instruments

  • Creator (Role):

    Lawrence Charles Francis (Maker)

  • Place of Origin:

    Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Mid-Atlantic, United States, North America

  • Date:

    1839-1845

  • Materials:

    Mahogany veneer; Wood; Brass; Glass; Mercury

  • Techniques:

    Engraved

  • Museum Object Number:

    1959.0112


  • Complete Details



Object Number

1959.0112

Object Name

Barometer (Thermometer)

Category

Clocks, Watches, and Scientific Instruments

Credit Line/Donor

Bequest of Henry Francis du Pont

Creator (Role)

Lawrence Charles Francis (Maker)

Place of Origin

Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Mid-Atlantic, United States, North America

Date

1839-1845

Mark or Signature or Inscription or Label

1. Inscription; Back plate; "L.C. Francis/ fecit/ Philad.\a / N.o/37" engraved in script

Materials

Mahogany veneer; Wood; Brass; Glass; Mercury

Techniques

Engraved

Dimensions (inches)

38.25 (H) , 6.625 (W) , 3.375 (D)

Dimensions (centimeters)

97.16 (H) , 16.828 (W) , 8.573 (D)

Measurement Notes

OD and OW are at pediment.

Object Description

Web - 10/21/2013

This barometer is commonly known as a "stick" type with a complex, molded pediment overhanging the upper wood case at the front and sides and small brackets at the junction with the long rectangular lower case that encloses the barometric glass tube, and a circular pendant as the lower case with an adjustable brass knob as a terminus. The upper case encloses the upper barometer and thermometer mounted on a silvered brass backplate. The backplate is engraved in script: "Furnished to Bedford County by / the Com\tee on Meteorology of the/ Franklin Institute of Pennsyl/ vania" and "L.C. Francis/ fecit/ Philad.\a N.o/37". The glass thermometer tube, mounted on the viewer's left, is engraved with the scale including: "Summ\r Heat", "Tempe/rate" and "Freez/ing". The top of the barometer has an adjustable sliding index between the scale of 27 and 31 inches. Bedford County is in central southern Pennsylvania. The instrument's maker, Lawrence C. Francis, worked in Philadelphia from 1839 until 1881. He was a member of the Franklin Institute where his very first barometer for this project, No.1, is still in the collection. This barometer participated in an endeavour founded by the Franklin Institute and the American Philosophical Society in 1834 as a joint committee of meteorology to collect weather data throughout different regions. One of their goals was to determine the "progression of weather patterns, primarily for the benefit of agriculture and the furtherance of scientific knowledge." Barometers, rain gauges, and other instruments were distributed and used by volunteers who submitted their records to the Franklin Institute.

Bibliography and Bibliographic Notes

[Book] Fennimore, Donald L. 1996 Metalwork in Early America: Copper and Its Alloys from the Winterthur Collection.
Published: cat.189, p.292
[Book] Goodison, Nicholas. 1968 English Barometers 1680-1860: A History of Domestic Barometers and Their Makers.
See similar barometer on p. 82.