Equipment: Nautical compass owned by Charles S. Stratton
Box compass
1840 – 1864 (Date manufactured/created)
Nautical compass used on board Charles S. Stratton's yacht, Maggie B., likely made between 1840 and 1864. Stratton is better known by his stage name, "Gen. Tom Thumb." He achieved great fame and wealth during his life, from the time he began performing as a child at P. T. Barnum's American Museum, and later touring the world. He enjoyed the luxuries of the rich and famous, including owning racing yachts for which he hired a captain and crew.
His first yacht, the Maggie B, was purchased in 1872 following his world tour. A second hand boat from Henry R. Bishop, Stratton bought it with intent to clean it up and use it for racing. Charles himself worked the tiller, and apparently Charles invited Barnum and his family onto the vessel, as Barnum's grandson Clinton Seeley recalled being on it when he was a child.
This boxed compass is typical of the kind used on ships in the 1800s. The wooden box houses a compass that has been set into a brass bowl and gimbal-mounted. A gimbal is a simple mechanism that allows the compass to pivot and stay level with the horizon even when the vessel is in choppy waters. The box has a separate lid made with securing latches to protect the glass face of the compass from damage.
The maker of the compass is Edmund Brown and Son: the name and location can be seen in the design of the compass face. Brown had his shop at 27 Fulton Street in New York City, the current location of the South Street Seaport Museum. The shop would have been several blocks southeast of Barnum's American Museum. Brown is listed as a maker of mathmatical instruments from 1820 to 1864 when he apparently closed his business. His son worked with him from 1840 til his death in 1863.
His first yacht, the Maggie B, was purchased in 1872 following his world tour. A second hand boat from Henry R. Bishop, Stratton bought it with intent to clean it up and use it for racing. Charles himself worked the tiller, and apparently Charles invited Barnum and his family onto the vessel, as Barnum's grandson Clinton Seeley recalled being on it when he was a child.
This boxed compass is typical of the kind used on ships in the 1800s. The wooden box houses a compass that has been set into a brass bowl and gimbal-mounted. A gimbal is a simple mechanism that allows the compass to pivot and stay level with the horizon even when the vessel is in choppy waters. The box has a separate lid made with securing latches to protect the glass face of the compass from damage.
The maker of the compass is Edmund Brown and Son: the name and location can be seen in the design of the compass face. Brown had his shop at 27 Fulton Street in New York City, the current location of the South Street Seaport Museum. The shop would have been several blocks southeast of Barnum's American Museum. Brown is listed as a maker of mathmatical instruments from 1820 to 1864 when he apparently closed his business. His son worked with him from 1840 til his death in 1863.
1939.008.001