Object Record
Images
Metadata
Catalog Number |
58.13 |
Object Name |
Sextant |
Title |
Pocket, or Box, Sextant |
Artist |
Unknown |
Date |
1850-1925 |
Description |
Brass circular box of 3" diameter, 1 3/4" high, into which is built a sextant. Unmarked. |
Label |
This box or "pocket" sextant is believed to have been taken on Robert Peary's expeditions to the North Pole between 1886 and 1902. Because it was portable and could be used to determine one's precise location in unmapped territories, the box sextant was one of the most practical and fundamental tools for exploration and military reconnaissance. |
Dimensions |
H-2.75 Dia-2.625 inches |
Dimension Details |
Not incl. folding lens |
Credit line |
American Philosophical Society. Gift of Robert Cushman Murphy, 1950. |
Search Terms |
surveying navigation 19th century nineteenth century 20th century twentieth century measurement scientific instrument maritime expedition Arctic |