Barometers Realm

This Imperial Russia Brass Case Barometer, c.1880, was manufactured by the French company Lion & Guichard for the renowned Moscow firm Fyodor Schwabe, which widely distributed these instruments throughout Russia. The barometer’s case is entirely made of brass, with a diameter of 13.4 centimeters.

The open-faced dial is crafted from glazed cardboard and features two barometric scales: the first graduated in London inches of mercury, and the second in centimeters of mercury. The dial prominently displays the State Emblem of the Russian Empire, as well as the honorary title of Technician of His Imperial Majesty’s Court. The barometric scales are accompanied by standard weather indications in pre-reform (pre-revolutionary) Russian orthography.

At the core of the barometer’s operation lies an elegant movement characteristic of Lion et Guichard. Mounted on a solid brass plate is a seven-centimeter aneroid capsule made of nickel silver, stretched against a C-shaped steel spring with a galvanic coating. The spring bears upon a massive cast-iron lever resting on two adjustable screw pivots with sharp points and blued square heads, and featuring an extension that presses against a fine adjustment screw.

A steel linkage connects the spring plate to the main shaft. The main shaft itself is a steel rod fitted with a brass plate carrying a regulating screw for amplitude adjustment and a spherical counterweight. The vertical arm of the main shaft is connected to the pointer arbor by means of a fusee chain, which transmits motion to the indicating hand.

In the complete catalog of instruments by F. Schwabe from 1867, this barometer is referred to as the Barometer Aneroid of Exquisite Sensitivity and is priced at 20 rubles (approximately £10 at the exchange rate of the same year — a huge sum for those times). In the same catalog, we come across the following phrase by Fyodor Schwabe: “All the new machines I receive from abroad, and henceforth shall receive, will be displayed in my shop in Moscow, where those interested in this subject may view them.”

This fine instrument exemplifies the close collaboration between French precision craftsmanship and Russian scientific culture of the late 19th century. Combining the refined mechanics of Lion & Guichard with the prestige and distribution network of Fyodor Schwabe, it stands as a remarkable testament to the cosmopolitan nature of Imperial Russian instrument-making — a union of technical excellence and historical distinction.