Pedometer

Johann Martin (1642-1721), attr.
Augsburg, ca 1670
Brass, engraved and gilt; steel
Height 6 cm, width 4 cm

Pedometers, step-counting instruments that measure the distance their users have covered on foot, are among the rarest scientific instruments to have survived from the Baroque era. Although used to measure distances covered by a pedestrian, they were also viewed as precious collector’s items. Such small measuring devices were usually suspended from a user’s belt and linked to his left or right thigh by a cord. Each step taken by the user releases a tally counter via a pawl, which is a spring-loaded lever. The pedometer discussed here is decorated on all sides with fine engraving that forms a surface-filling horror vacui tracery of ornamental arabesques. A large silver dial centred on the front face shows distances from 100 to 1,000 steps. The lower half of the dial is fitted with a movable hand that multiplies the steps counted above by factors ranging from 1 to 10 so that distances of up to 10,000 steps (a total of 17 kilometres or 10.56 miles) can be measured. Turning the instrument over reveals two further silver discs with numbers and movable hands: with these dials 1 to 10 and 10 to 100 steps can be measured. Thanks to the two rectangular lugs on the side, the instrument can be worn around the user’s waist on a leather strap. The lever with a round lug, on the other hand, is fastened to a second leather strap on the user’s leg: it sets the entire counter mechanism in motion when the user strides forwards.