DESCRIPTION: Early 19th-century "Land Traveller's Pocket Compass," engraved and issued by Joseph Taylor. This is only the second example of this work by Taylor we can locate. No example of the item is found in WorldCat.
Taylor prepared these pocket compasses for travelers, surveyors, and outdoorsmen who needed a simple guide for direction finding and basic weather prediction. The circular diagram is built from several engraved rings of text explaining how rainbow color, phase of the moon, and compass bearing of specific meteorological phenomena (wind, clouds, rain) were believed to signal approaching changes in the weather. These ideas reflect the early folk-meteorological rules that Taylor promoted in his printed work: "A rain-bow in the morning is the Shepherd's warning; but a rain-bow at night is the shepherd's delight."
Published for J. Taylor in 1814. With a manuscript dedication at bottom right: "From your lonely husband in Britain. 1943."
The piece blends practical instruction with decorative engraving. The central compass rose is surrounded by Taylor's explanatory text, while two ribbon panels carry short rules for reading clouds and winds. Although inexpensive and meant for everyday use, few examples survive because they were handled, carried, and eventually discarded. This sheet is therefore a rare artifact of early American scientific engraving and an unusual example of Joseph Taylor's work at the intersection of silversmithing, printing, and popular science.
Joseph Taylor (1767–1827) was an English silversmith and engraver active in Birmingham, England in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. His work fits within the period’s popular fascination with portable scientific instruments and printed teaching devices aimed at travelers, surveyors, and the educated public.
PUBLICATION DATE: 1814
GEOGRAPHIC AREA: England
BODY OF WATER: N/A
CONDITION: Good.
Very finely engraved. About as fine as they get. Laid down to heavy 20th century card stock. Generally clean with minor foxing at top. Small piece missing at bottom center edge near ribbon.
COLORING: Likely hand colored shortly after issue.
ENGRAVER: N.R. Hewitt
SIZE: 10
" x
12 "
ITEM PHYSICAL LOCATION:
PRICE: $550
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