Antique of the Month - Cased Maritime Compass
The featured antique this month is a maritime one: an early 20th century cased maritime compass.
Cased compasses aren’t common, so this one is rather rare. Most ships’ compasses from this period are found in a brass enclosure atop a wooden structure called a “binnacle.” I have this top brass enclosure w/compass but without the binnacle in my collection. It will be in a future newsletter, so look for it!
But this cased maritime compass is not part of a binnacle. It’s inside its own wooden box, which again, I haven’t seen except for this example. This format gave the compass portability, meaning the ship’s captain would have brought it aboard separately or, as mentioned above, used on the owner’s “gig.” However, there have been four screw holes at each corner of the bottom of the case, suggesting at some point in its life it was mounted.
What’s missing from this arrangement, however, is a means of illumination. The top brass portion of binnacles were illuminated by candles, with a separate area attached to the brass compass enclosure to place the candle in (mine has this). But this cased compass does not have such an arrangement, suggesting it was used as a backup or, when mounted, used aboard a day-sailing yacht or similar small vessel. Its wood construction would have been open to the elements, so when mounted this compass was likely protected inside a wheelhouse.
This particular cased compass has its original hook and fastener, plus the beautiful dovetail corners. Even solid brass nails! Like everything back then, this wooden case was built as a piece of furniture!
As for the compass itself, it is placed inside a solid brass “gimbal” which allows it to remain level at all times as the ship (or “gig”) rolled in the waves. Note the maker’s name is stamped on the compass face, “Geo. B. Campbell & Co. Chicago.” The solid brass strips at the center of the compass rose are unusual and decorative.
This is an authentic maritime antique. I keep it in the entry foyer.
You can see it in person at the historic marker dedication ceremony for the Johanna Brotch House at 515 East Lincoln Avenue in Bay View to be held on Saturday, 13 July 2024. Free tours of the first floor (to include the entry foyer) of Johanna’s house follow immediately after the ceremony. Stop by for the ceremony and come to see this beautiful maritime antique in the house!
