The Beauty of Tools

Back in the 1870s, a tool's decorative beauty was as important as its function. Case in point: this 12-inch inclinometer for finding the pitch of rafters and stair rails. The part that registers the incline is a simple disk of engraved brass, but the frame around it is ornately filigreed cast-iron highlighted with gold and black japanning, a baked-on enamel.