Name/Title
Howe ScalesEntry/Object ID
2022.21.7Description
Wood block print in black ink on white paper showing a man demonstrating a platform scale on a city street. The salesman is wearing a tailcoat and holding a poster that reads, “HOWE SCALES”. He is gesturing to a man in a top hat who is holding a wallet in one hand and touching the scale with the other. He is standing in striped pants in front of a leaning briefcase on his leg. There are posters for Howe Scales with inscriptions, "THE/IMPROVED/HOWE/SCALES," a man holding a tabletop scale, and a cart toting scales in the background. The bottom of the image is labeled, “HOWE SCALES / Vermont’s Honest Weigh!” with a Howe logo. It is signed in pencil above the label, “M. Simpson 3/40 2010”. The print is top mounted onto dark red mat board and framed behind glass in a black wooden frame.Artwork Details
Medium
InkSubject
Howe Scale CompanyContext
The history of the Howe Scale Company begins with Frank M. Strong of Vergennes and Thomas Ross designing and patenting a ball bearing scale for the Sampson Scale Company of Vergennes. Prior to this invention, the sharp pivot on which the platform of the scale rests would become worn down with repeated use, thus causing the scale to lose accuracy over time. The ball-bearing design provided a shock absorber for the pivot to reduce stress on the scale and improve its accuracy. This was the first major scale improvement in America and the first major innovation by Strong and Ross, the second being the building in 1857 of a gigantic scale for weighing canal boats, a feat that experts said was impossible.
In Spring 1857 John Howe Jr. of Brandon took over Strong and Ross's patents and began to manufacture their designs under the name Howe Scale Company. The Howe Scale Company became world-renowned, earning several awards at fairs and exhibitions, including the the gold, silver, and bronze medals at the 1867 Paris Exhibition against competitors from all over the world.
In 1873 the plant was moved to Rutland, with John A. Mead of Rutland becoming president in 1886, followed by Carl B. Hinsman and Frank G. Riehl. The Howe Scale Company went on to manufacture the weightograph, a device which produces weight readings on a ground glass screen that can be read in the dark from some distance away. It also produced the longest railroad track scale in the world, scales for weighing airplane propellors, and lightweight, aluminum scales that were easily transportable on airplanes. It also began producing trucks and tailers for cargo, and this became an important part of the company's product line. The Howe Scale Company continued to be a leader in the manufactuer of high-accuracy weighing instruments into the twentieth century.
Currently residing in Lyndonville, Mary Gorham Simpson was born in northern Vermont and raised on a working dairy farm in Burke. After graduating from Lyndon State College, she and her husband, Wilder Simpson, taught school in the area for several years, then moved west. They lived for seven years in Wyoming and 14 years in Alaska, returning to Vermont in 1992.
While raising her three children, Simpson took art classes and worked on her own in various media - drawing, calligraphy, and painting. In Alaska, she worked as a graphic artist for the Imaginarium Science Center in Anchorage and as a scenic artist for the Alaska Festival Theater and Anchorage Civic Opera. She did scrimshaw for two shops and exhibit calligraphy for three years for the Anchorage Museum of History and Art.
Now back in Vermont, she mostly works as a printmaker with subjects reflecting memories of Vermont agriculture.Acquisition
Accession
2022.21Acquisition Method
Found in CollectionMade/Created
Artist
Simpson, Mary Gorham (b.1945)Date made
2010Place
State/Province
VermontCountry
United States of AmericaContinent
North AmericaLexicon
Nomenclature 4.0
Nomenclature Primary Object Term
PrintNomenclature Sub-Class
Graphic DocumentsNomenclature Class
Documentary ObjectsNomenclature Category
Category 08: Communication ObjectsDimensions
Dimension Description
OverallHeight
16 inWidth
13 inDepth
7/8 inRelationships
Related Person or Organization
Person or Organization
Howe Scale, Co. (1857-1982)Related Events
Event
Vermont History Expo