Description:
Pewter sundial relief-cast cast with "IOSIAH MILLER" around the rim and overpainted in black. Sundials were the most readily available means of telling time prior to the availability of inexpensive clocks and timepieces during the mid 19th century. They were reliable as long as they were designed for the correct latitude; sundials must be calibrated to read correctly at differing latitudes by adjusting the angle of the gnomon and the gradations of the dial. If the parts were fixed, the dial will read accurately only within about 30mi. north or south of the latitude for which it is set. The dial's gnomom must point north, by positioning the compass, to cast a readable shadow. Widely made in America and imported from England, they were used in many variations, including vertically and horizontally mounted, and portable types. A large number of the surviving pewter sundials either have the relief-cast name or initials of the Miller family; the most frequently seens are those with Josiah Miller's name such as this example and the initials "NM" (see HD 54.218). These sundials have similar form and gnomon (metal triangle) of the same inclination; the hours are marked in Roman numerals. Some of Josiah Miller's molds (see HD 3136) are marked "42" for the forty-second parallel that runs from near Plymouth, Mass., through Kingston, NY. The Miller name and initials also appear on molds for spoons, buttons, and bullets. Many of the smaller pewter sundials may have been mounted on windowsills, and the damage around the mounting holes, such as on this example, may have resulted from prying them loose. George Sheldon donated a "Sun dial used on a window at the old Sheldon house" to PVMA, shown in the Picture and Manuscript Room.
Link to share this object record:
https://museums.fivecolleges.edu/detail.php?t=objects&type=ext&id_number=HD+96.041 |
