{"id":45293,"date":"2025-11-18T03:30:47","date_gmt":"2025-11-18T08:30:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.georgeglazer.com\/wpmain\/?post_type=product&#038;p=45293"},"modified":"2025-12-05T13:16:53","modified_gmt":"2025-12-05T18:16:53","slug":"scientific-instrument-sundial-pocket-compass-butterfield-gnomon-hardwood-case-c-1900-sold","status":"publish","type":"product","link":"https:\/\/www.georgeglazer.com\/wpmain\/product\/scientific-instrument-sundial-pocket-compass-butterfield-gnomon-hardwood-case-c-1900-sold\/","title":{"rendered":"Scientific, Instrument, Sundial Pocket Compass, Butterfield Gnomon, Hardwood Case, c. 1900 (Sold)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>In the 17<sup>th<\/sup> to 19<sup>th<\/sup> Centuries, portable pocket sundials were used to tell local time by aligning them with the sun. An adjustable gnomon cast a shadow on a time dial, and a built-in compass was used to ensure it was oriented correctly for latitude and the time of year. They were used to tell local solar time which could be converted to mean solar time (clock time), with an\u00a0 equation of time scale. Though not as reliable as mechanical clocks, they offered independent timekeeping for travelers away from indoor clocks. They also offered an alternative to pocket watches which in this period were expensive and of limited accuracy until innovations of the 19<sup>th<\/sup> Century. Many pocket sundials were made of brass, sometimes silver or nickel plated, and sometimes with an additional hardshell case. Others were inset in wooden cases. The craftsmanship and accuracy of a pocket sundial manufactured in this period made it both a functional tool and a symbol of status and intellect.<\/p>\n<p>Reference:<\/p>\n<p>Compassipedia, <em>Sundial Compasses<\/em>, https:\/\/compassmuseum.com\/sundials\/sundials.htm<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p><strong>Sundial Compass<\/strong><br \/>\nGermany, 19th Century<br \/>\nHardwood case<br \/>\n3.75 x 3.75 inches<\/p>\n<p>An unusual portable sundial compass compendium for a traveler to tell time, or simply for navigation or map reading. The 2-part rosewood case opens by two hinges to reveal a sundial inset in the lid, and a compass inset in the base. The sundial has an engraved brass Butterfield-style folding bird gnomon hinged to open or close on a silvered dial with daylight hours, calibrated to latitudes 48, 50, and 52 degrees. The compass has a\u00a0magnetized needle with a blue pointer side, over a brass dial with engraved compass rose, directional lines and cardinal points with simple letters, such as N, O, S, W, NW, NO, etc., indicating directions. The compass has an outer silvered band with calibrated engraved degree numbers and is secured by a brass ring. The wood case closes with two hooks secured on brass nail heads. German compasses and maps commonly use &#8216;O&#8217; for &#8220;Ost&#8221; or &#8220;Osten&#8221;\u00a0 (East), &#8216;S&#8217; for S\u00fcden (South), &#8216;W&#8217; for Westen (West), and &#8216;N&#8217; for Norden (North).\u00a0 Thus, the compass likely was made in Germany.<\/p>\n<p>Product description continues below.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":45302,"template":"","meta":{"wds_primary_product_brand":0,"wds_primary_product_cat":0,"footnotes":""},"product_brand":[],"product_cat":[4228],"product_tag":[521,10329,549,1109,10140,10328,120,8686,7107,1151,6957,10327],"class_list":{"0":"post-45293","1":"product","2":"type-product","3":"status-publish","4":"has-post-thumbnail","6":"product_cat-archive-sold-science-technology","7":"product_tag-antique","8":"product_tag-butterfield-dial","9":"product_tag-cartography","10":"product_tag-compass","11":"product_tag-compass-rose","12":"product_tag-directional","13":"product_tag-navigation","14":"product_tag-portable","15":"product_tag-scientific-instrument","16":"product_tag-sundial","17":"product_tag-surveying","18":"product_tag-travel","19":"post","20":"post-with-thumbnail","21":"post-with-thumbnail-large","23":"first","24":"instock","25":"shipping-taxable","26":"product-type-simple"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.georgeglazer.com\/wpmain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/product\/45293","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.georgeglazer.com\/wpmain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/product"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.georgeglazer.com\/wpmain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/product"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/www.georgeglazer.com\/wpmain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/product\/45293\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":45534,"href":"https:\/\/www.georgeglazer.com\/wpmain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/product\/45293\/revisions\/45534"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.georgeglazer.com\/wpmain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/45302"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.georgeglazer.com\/wpmain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=45293"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"product_brand","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.georgeglazer.com\/wpmain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/product_brand?post=45293"},{"taxonomy":"product_cat","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.georgeglazer.com\/wpmain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/product_cat?post=45293"},{"taxonomy":"product_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.georgeglazer.com\/wpmain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/product_tag?post=45293"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}