Alexander Laing Tellurians
A fine pair of early, professionally restored & functional tellurians by Laing Planetarium Co.
First invented to accurately demonstrate Earth's movement about the Sun & the Moon's movement about Earth. Easily demonstrating seasonal affects, eclipses, and equinox/solstices; These tellurians show the Suns' relative position in celestial sphere; demonstrating the sun relative to the zodiac.
Operated by turning the handle Alexander Laing used turned maple pulleys & string; Depending on the gear-train, tellurians were strung with silk button thread, crochet silk, and silk fishing line. Both professionally restrung, with appropriate silk line & recommended knots.
Both tellurians above also feature Venus' celestial movement about the Sun. The gear-train driving Venus is complex, with a pully system that keeps retrograde rotation (planet spins clock-wise, all other planets in our solar system spin counter-clockwise). On both models, Venus is painted black (later models show Venus half black & white).
Late 19th Century
Early Alexander Laing Tellurian
Very early Laings Planetarium. Gold painted wooden sun (indicative of very early models, later models featured polished spun-brass spheres for the sun). Maple standard, base arm, and planetary arm (later planetary arms were made of metal rods). Nickel-plated steel wire. Original 3" 1897 Rand McNally globe with Laing's Planetarium Co. cartouche paste-down over Rand McNally cartouche. Metal lithographed compass card, with months, zodiac, and four seasons. Professioinally restrung, with appropriate silk.
The axial tilt of Venus is 177 degrees, on this particular model the axial tilt of Venus is highly exaggerated.
Nameplate reads 'Laing's Planetarium Patented, Laing Planetarium Co., Detroit, Mich., U.S.A.'
13" Planet Arm, 4" diameter Sun, 3" Globe.
Featured in The Library of Congress.
Early 20th Century
Rare 1905 Laing's Tellurian
A prime example of Laing's Planetarium. Features a polished, spun-brass hollow sun. Maple base, standard, pulleys, and planet arm. A metal pin-under planet arm is spun to operate the tellurian.
This Laing features a compass; used to align the device so that Earth's North Pole is accurately aligned with North. Once aligned, and rotated to accurate position on calendar dial; one can see their current celestial position.
Nameplate reads 'Laing's Planetarium Patented, Laing Planetarium Co., Detroit, Mich., U.S.A.'
Laing Planetarium Co. was purchased by the Trippensee Manufacturing Co. in 1905. This tellurian was one of the last Laing's produced, and finished by "The Trippensee Manufacturing Co." in 1905. Hence Laing's nameplate, but Tripenssee's cartouche on globe.