A very rare and unusual transparent pocket compass, made in England, difficult to date, but most probably from c.1890-1920. The compass has a brass case, with a black painted exterior finish, blued needle pivoting between the two glasses, and degree markings and cardinal points painted on the underside of the glass. On one side the glass is bevelled, the other side is flat. There are no maker's marks, but it may possibly have been made by either F. Barker & Son or J. H. Steward Ltd. Barker often sold their compasses unsigned to the retail trade.
This type of compass was popular around the turn of the 20th century, and was intended to be used with a map, with features such as roads and obstacles being visible through the glass. Francis Barker & Son was the best known maker of transparent compasses, often known as cyclists or riders compasses, during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. In J. H. Steward catalogues of the time they were described as 'An excellent horseback compass, and if held above the head the needle can be seen at night time against the sky. If laid on a map, being transparent, the direction of roads can readily be seen'. Barker's designs were rather different and all featured an English bar needle, wheras this compass has a blued needle of the kind often seen in Victorian compasses c.1870-1900. An identical compass can be seen in the 'Glass' section at compassmuseum.com, with J. H. Steward suggested as a possible maker.
Condition:
In very good condition and finds North well. There is some minor wear to the original black painted finish of the case.
Dimensions : 37mm diameter (53mm including loop)
