Decorative advertising thermometers are expensive collectibles

For years collectors have avidly sought out advertising thermometers such as those seen in garages and general stores promoting everything from tires to Coca-Cola. Prices for these thermometers have become high and many new collectors have turned their attention to the lesser-known decorative instruments.

Thermometers for home use were first mass-produced in this country in the years immediately following the Civil War. The industrial boom of the 1870s and 1880s resulted in the manufacture of thermometers that were accurate, beautiful and affordable. This tradition was maintained and even improved upon until World War II effectively ended the era of craftsmanship and beauty.

With the development of accurate thermometers came the natural progression from utilitarian instrument to decorative object for the embellishment of the home. Outdoor thermometers remained generally simple and utilitarian while those intended for indoor use soon became popular as gifts and mirrored all the vagaries of style from the late Victorian through the Art Moderne eras.

Technology managed to keep pace with art and thermometers became increasingly accurate scientific instruments. There are those who specialize in thermometers of high quality rather than decorative value. Such specialists tend to focus on good early instruments with mercury filled tubes and accurate machine-calibrated brass or bronze scales. Some of these instruments are quite valuable and attractive, but they are not the object of interest for the average collector.

When the thermometer became a popular item for decoration and gift giving, it was not long before manufacturers began to experiment with instruments for every room in the house in materials and styles reflecting just about every taste and artistic trend. Plain tin and wood variations are marketed for kitchen use while there were beautiful glass and bronze thermometers designed for hanging on the wall of a solarium or office.

Wall thermometers represent just a small portion of the total output of decorative instruments manufactured from 1870 to 1940. There were millions made for use on the desk, dressing table, dresser and mantel. The instruments themselves were generally similar with the exception of tube content and scale. Good thermometers held mercury instead of alcohol and the scale was made of metal instead of paper. Size could range from less than 1 inch to over 6 inches in length.

The real variety could be seen in the shape and material of the case. Desk and mantel thermometers were set in wood, brass, silver, gold, ivory, glass, alabaster and celluloid as well as combinations of these materials. How the materials were used is what distinguishes a good decorative thermometer from an average example. The very best were often the product of the good companies such as Tiffany, Miller or Bradley and Hubbard. Their thermometers combined avante-garde styling with combinations of materials such as gold, bronze and silver as well as decorative enamelling to produce stunning results. The very best designs utilized the stylistic traditions of the Art Nouveau and Art Deco movements. These are among the very best of all decorative thermometers ever manufactured.

On the more average level were some very attractive examples taking advantage of traditional forms and materials. Among the most popular of these forms were the bronze lighthouse, the hanging brass umbrella, cast metal buildings and carved wooden animals. The value of these thermometers depends largely upon the materials used and the quality of the artwork.

A well-executed alabaster model of a classical building will always command more than a cheap knockoff of one of America’s popular monuments such as the Statue of Liberty or Washington Monument. Famous landmarks have always been particularly popular as mountings for decorative thermometers and it is usually a matter of age and quality that will determine whether a piece is valuable.

Robert Croul, the NEWS’ antiques columnist, is from Newburgh.