Victorian 'The Universal Barometer' for the use of Mariners, Agriculturist, Horticulturists etc.

For sale, a Victorian The Universal Barometer for the use of Mariners, Algriculturist, Horticulturists etc.

Comprised of a graduated painted iron case with brass bezel and 5” painted dial measuring 28 to 31 inches of barometric pressure. It has a somewhat unusual set of weather indications with the use of Stormy, Unsettled and Fair Weather to the outer circumference, Admiral Fitzroy type indications underneath the scale which is itself divided into twentieths of an inch.

The maker of this barometer seems to have evaded most scholars interested in the subject and I have also been unable to unearth any further details relating to its source. Nevertheless, it seems to have had a certain level of popularity during its time and was obviously built to be robust enough for use in an outdoor setting such as a greenhouse or a ships cabin. My thoughts are that it may have been introduced as a domestic copy version of the famous RNLI aneroid barometer given its style of manufacture.

An interesting and aesthetically pleasing Victorian example.

Circa 1880.