Vintage compass on a vintage map.
My husband got me this lovely, palm-sized vintage compass at a ship salvage shop and antique dealer in Bangladesh.
The walnut-toned wood box has a metal label reading "Negretti & Zambra, as does the compass itself, both on the cover, and under the glass on the rose's face. The outside of the compass lid reads "Edward VII Compass King & Emporer 1908". The date, 1908, and the word, "London" is inscribed on the compass rose under the glass. The compass has a fob, as well as a sliding knob to lock the floating needle in place when not in use.
The poem, Robert Frost's "The Road Less Taken" has been engraved on brass-toned metal and appears to have been attached to the inside cover. This poem dates to 1915 and was not really considered a classic until the mid-1920s. I'm assuming that the inscription was added later, particularly because the font-styles are more modern.
My husband isn't sure if the compass actually dates to 1908. Negretti & Zambra manufactured compasses, telescopes, monocules, barameters and other scientific items during this time period, but I was unable to find a similar compass style during a fairly comprehensive Internet search.
If you know anything about vintage compasses, please leave a comment. No matter whether this is a reproduction or an actual antique, it is still a wonderful addition to my collection of cartography and geographic ephemera.
Picture Books, Miguel Vera, carrolynlakowski, Rankin Miss, and 44 other people added this photo to their favorites.
View 20 more comments
AdamLeggottCIW 11 months ago | reply
Great image - used on www.nickitealmakeupartist.co.uk homepage - slightly modified. Credited at foot of page.
Cheri Sundra: Guerrilla Historian 9 months ago | reply
Fantastic! I've linked my blog post to your picture:
fortunecookieideology.wordpress.com/2012/08/13/direction/
RTaminato 9 months ago | reply
Bonita foto ... gostei :)
Gina @MoneywiseMoms 4 months ago | reply
Thank you for sharing this photo. I used it on this blog post:
www.moneywisemoms.com/2013/01/2013-financial-goals