Name/Title
Boyce MotoMeter Midget Model,, c. 1920sEntry/Object ID
2021.141.2Description
Acc. No. 21.141.2
Subject Category: Businesses of Alameda
Date or Period: 1920s
Object: Motometer
Description: a nickel or nickel-plated device, with screw-thread bottom section, a circular glass gauge top, spread wings, and a shield with image of Icarus protecting a hinge. Inside the glass of the gauge is a glass tube with red line. The gauge has glass on both sides, behind the glass on the shield side is a black metal tag, stating on one side in gold or brass type 'Boyce MotoMeter Midget Model, Patented', on the other side are measuring stripes in gold or brass and the words 'Register in Circle' on the left, and 'For High Efficiency' on the right.
Size: H 4.5, wingspan: 8.75 inches.
History of Object: Motometer that was found on a rafter in the garage of 2033 San Antonio Ave., a house built in 1889. The MotoMeter was invented in 1912 and the Boyce company version was the most famous. A Motometer would be placed instead of the radiator cap, and allowed the car operator to monitor the temperature of the cooling system from within the car. By the 1940s the gauge would be placed on the dashboard inside the car, and Motometers had become a thing of the past.
Acquired from: Myrna van Lunteren
Catalog Date: 12/18/2021
