"Calormeter" Motometer, circa 1930

01

Artifact Overview

Automobiles often came without temperature gauges before the early 1930s, so enterprising manufacturers sold aftermarket motometers. Mounted on a car's radiator, these devices measured and displayed coolant water vapor temperature, notifying drivers if their automobiles were in danger of overheating. Wilmot-Breenden Ltd. produced this "Calormeter" motometer in England around 1930.

Artifact Details

Artifact

Motometer

Date Made

circa 1930

Place of Creation

Location

On Loan - Shanghai Auto Museum (Anting, Shanghai, China)

Object ID

81.99.14

Credit

From the Collections of The Henry Ford.

Material

White metal
Glass (Material)

Dimensions

Height: 3.5 in
Width: 1.875 in
Depth: 1.125 in

Inscriptions

on face of lens: COOL / NORMAL / BOIL / CALORMETER / WILMOT-BREEDEN / LTD. / PAT. NO. 281781 / REG. NO. 715114