Antique barometers have long been of interest to the collector, combining as they do, the utilitarian aspects of a scientific instrument with the aesthetic value of a finely crafted domestic artefact.
The barometer is an instrument for measuring atmospheric (air) pressure and was invented in Italy in the 1640's, although first made by Italians in England. Torricelli, working on the writings of the astronomer Galileo, discovered that the level of mercury in an inverted glass tube tended to vary from day to day, reflecting changes in weather conditions. He suggested the use of a mercury column to measure air pressure and thus to help predict the weather. This did not give a precise forecast of the meteorological future, but was nonetheless useful in that it gave some prior indication of what the climate had in store.
During the late 17th century barometers became popular as useful items for the home, but the prohibitive cost of mercury made them very expensive. They were initially prestige items, adorning the dwellings of the rich, and did not generally grace the houses of the middle classes until the 19th century. They then became an essential household item, regularly consulted before family outings and decisions of all sorts. Our English preoccupation with the weather, justified by the vagaries of the climate, had found its own particular aesthetic expression. More barometers were made in England than in an any other part of Europe, and in the early 1800's there was a substantial community of Italian craftsmen producing them in the north of England. Antique barometers made before 1740 are now rare, with most of those available to the present-day collector dating from the late 18th century onwards.
From 1670 onwards, English makers such as Daniel Quare, Thomas Tompion and Henry Jones had been producing the instruments. The earliest form was the stick barometer whose readings were taken from a card behind a column of mercury mounted on wood. Walnut was used at first, and more exotic timbers such as mahogany, rosewood, satinwood and pearlwood came into vogue later. Lacquered wood was used in the early 18th century. The weather categories used from the late 17th century and still generally in use today are: very dry, settled fair, fair, changeable, rain, much rain and stormy.
Stick barometers were produced up to 1830 and the early ones are very collectable. The wheel or banjo barometer, featuring a large dial, was invented in the late 17th century and was popular by the beginning of the next century. During the late Georgian and Regency periods, barometer cases were often very elaborately embellished, reflecting the current fashions in clock and furniture decoration. Much use was made of techniques such as inlay (using materials such as brass and mother of pearl) and crossbanding.
Around 1840 the Frenchman Lucien Vidie produced the first aneroid (without fluid) barometer, in which the tube was replaced by a metal vacuum disc. Although this method was less accurate, it made the instruments much more portable. Engineers and scientists were able to work with them out of doors and they could also be used at sea.
Because barometers are instruments of measurement, there is a fair amount of scope for them to have gone wrong over the years. The tube is susceptible to damage, air bubbles can become trapped in the mercury, and the silvering and veneer can often show signs of wear. The antique barometer you spot in an auction or a shop may well need some professional attention if you wish it to function as it was intended to, but there is no shortage of firms who specialize in this sort of restoration.
