c1893 carved vegetable ivory pear form measuring tape w stanhope

Made for the 1893 World’s Fair held in Chicago, this diminutive pear-shaped measuring tape was intricately carved from Coquille nut or “vegetable ivory,” which is actually the fruit of a Brazilian palm tree. It’s polished to a high luster and shows virtually no sign of wear or use.

The condition is excellent with no chips or dings, no cracks and the bright pink measuring tape unrolls and retracts smoothly. The tape is quite faded at the outermost end but vividly colored as it unrolls, and the bone ring is still attached at the end of the tape.

The carved bone (ox or cow) finial contains an intact Stanhope viewer and the image is clear– “Bird’s Eye View of the World’s Columbian Exhibition at Chicago 1893″ with 3 different scenes. It measures about 2″ tall and 7/8” across at the widest point.

SOLD