Accession No
2828
Brief Description
artificial horizon, by Troughton and Simms, English, 1850 (c)
Origin
England; London
Maker
Troughton and Simms
Class
navigation
Earliest Date
1850
Latest Date
1850
Inscription Date
Material
glass; metal (brass); liquids; hide (leather); cloth (velvet)
Dimensions
case length 100mm; breadth 103mm; height 53mm
Special Collection
Provenance
Purchased from Christie’s, South Kensington, London, England; lot 249, 29/04/1982.
Inscription
‘TROUGHTON & SIMMS
LONDON’ (base and in lid)
Description Notes
Black glass artificial horizon, brass mount with 3 levelling screws. Fitted box with bubble level and T & S trade label.
Condition: good; complete.
References
Events
Description
An artificial horizon can be used in darkness, fog, or when the real horizon is obscured for any other reason. They were often used in conjunction with other instruments that need a horizontal level, such as a sextant or reflecting circle. There are records of use from the mid 16th century onwards.
The two basic types of artificial horizon were mercury with a glass cover – the top layer of the mercury always staying level (this type is not very practical for use on a ship) and bubble levels, where the position of bubbles in a liquid shows which way the axis is tilting.
18/10/2002
Created by: Saffron Clackson on 18/10/2002
FM:43551
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