1950s Weston Sangamo S85 Bakelite Photometer In Its Original Leather Case

This lovely little piece of vintage tech is a 1950s Weston Sangamo S85 Bakelite Photometer In Its Original Leather Case. It also comes with its original operating instructions!

It is in very cosmetic condition: with some superficial scuffs. Although the needle is moving in different lighting conditions, it does not appear to be operating properly, hence it is being sold as a collectible for display only.

Approximate Size (WHD):  5.2 x 8 x 3 cm

It would have been used by Lighting Engineers to measure the lighting source in different working environments e.g. office, classroom, factory floor e.t.c. It has a table on the back of the instrument, and in the operating booklet, giving a selected set of recommended illumination values for different types of work/working environment.  

It has two ranges of sensitivity, and is calibrated in foot-candles (lumens per square feet). 

1 lux = 0.093 lumen/ SQ FT )or 1 Ft.C

You press the switch on the top to move from the lower (x1) to higher (x5 measuring up to 125 foot candles) sensitivity range. 

A wonderful little scientific instrument. There is even one in the collection at the Science Museum!

Please click on the following link for more vintage test/measures/meters.