Antique Thermometer
An antique thermometer records temperature shifts inside timber cases and scientific mountings dating from the Georgian, Victorian, and Edwardian eras.
Antique Thermometer
When searching for an antique thermometer, one encounters wall-mounted instruments, freestanding desk pieces, and complex meteorological stations that combine temperature scales with barometers and hygrometers.
The pieces most frequently met on this page span the Victorian and Edwardian periods, constructed as part of banjo barometers, wheel barometers, or dedicated oak and mahogany wall thermometers.
Makers housed these instruments within traditional domestic timbers such as mahogany, oak, walnut, and rosewood, alongside heavily carved Black Forest pine and inlaid satinwood.
Materials and construction
Instrument makers combined delicate glass thermometer tubes with engraved brass scales, mounting them securely into timber backplates that often featured shell inlay, mother-of-pearl, or bevelled glass panels.
Cabinet makers shaped the surrounding cases using traditional joinery, turning woods like mahogany and walnut for wheel barometers or carving elaborate foliage for Black Forest and Victorian examples.
Makers also incorporated enamelled dials, silver gilt mountings, and specialised recording mechanisms such as barographs and hygrometers into the wooden housings.
Antique Thermometer Retail Price Guide 2026
Typical asking prices for thermometer among the pieces listed under this phrase on Sellingantiques today, from the lower quarter to the upper quarter. They describe what is for sale here now, not the wider market.
The listings show temperature instruments housed inside mahogany, oak, walnut, rosewood, satinwood, and carved Black Forest pine.
Judging quality in scientific instruments
Quality rests upon the crispness of the engraved scale, the legibility of the maker signature, and the precision with which the timber case has been carved or inlaid.
Better examples maintain their original glass tubes, legible mercury or spirit columns, and well-proportioned wooden surrounds without heavy timber replacement or clumsy secondary repairs.
The distinction between standard domestic pieces and superior examples lies in the complexity of the combined weather station, such as integrated clocks and barographs by noted instrument makers.
GAUPP CO HONGKONG SINGAPORE·Wilh Lambrecht Göttingen Germany·P Caminada Taunton·Short Mason London·George Adams of Fleet Street·Patrick Adie of London·G L Guanziroli London·NEGRETTI ZAMBRA LONDON
The Antique Thermometer Glossary
- Aneroid barometer
- A device that measures atmospheric pressure using a flexible metal box rather than liquid mercury. It forms the central body of many combined weather stations.
- Barograph
- A self-recording meteorological instrument that draws barometric pressure readings onto a paper chart. These often house a thermometer alongside the main clockwork drum.
- Banjo barometer
- A wall-mounted weather glass shaped like a musical banjo. The swollen lower bulb typically houses a thermometer or a dampness indicator.
- Hygrometer
- An instrument used to measure humidity in the air. Examples from the period include hair-tension models and wet and dry bulb configurations.
- Stick barometer
- A tall, slender wall instrument containing an exposed vertical glass tube of mercury. It represents one of the earliest forms of accurate atmospheric measurement.
Antique Thermometer: Frequently Asked Questions
What is an antique thermometer?
An antique thermometer is a temperature-measuring instrument housed in period timber frames, carved wood cases, or combined scientific weather stations dating from the eighteenth to the early twentieth century.
These pieces use glass tubes containing mercury or spirit, mounted alongside calibrated brass or enamel scales to record ambient room or coastal temperatures.
How were these instruments used?
Owners hung them in entrance halls, libraries, and studies to monitor indoor temperatures and general weather trends alongside barometers and clocks.
Specialist variants served agricultural or industrial purposes, such as hot bed thermometers used by gardeners to check soil warmth in greenhouses.
How do I identify periods?
Georgian and Regency examples tend to feature clean mahogany veneers with simple stick barometer or wheel thermometer layouts. Victorian and Edwardian pieces frequently showcase heavier carving, oak cases, or intricate Black Forest foliage.
Art Deco instruments transition into geometric onyx or streamlined frames, moving away from nineteenth-century revival styles.
How do I live with them?
Mount them securely to stable walls away from direct sunlight, central heating sources, and damp exterior walls to protect the timber cases and delicate glass tubes.
Dust the carved wooden surfaces gently with a dry brush and avoid aggressive chemical polishes that might damage aged brass scales and paper charts.