Jason Clarke Antiques

Description

A superb little mid nineteenth century leather and velvet cased travelling thermometer by Dollond of London.

The thermometer back is constructed from bone and provides both Fahrenheit and Centrigrade readings to either side. Fully working and in lovely condition.

The Dollond company was set up in Hatton Garden in 1750 by Peter Dollond whose invention of the achromatic lens a short time after led to his award of the Copley Medal by The Royal Society in 1758. Following this success, Dollond moved to The Strand where John Dollond was appointed optician to George III and the Duke of York in 1761.

Continuing in family ownership after John’s death. The Dollond name continued to be associated with royalty and went on to win a Great Exhibition Medal for “instruments for recording meteorological information on a strip of paper” (barographs). It is still in existence today as the optician Dollond & Aitchison, having been acquired by James Aitchison in 1927.

In the nineteenth century, opticians sold many varied products from scientific instruments, weather forecasting apparatus as well as optical supplies.