It's been a while since I've had a pair of folk art ladies legs calipers, typically made by metalworkers/machinists for practical use, but I've been thinking about them lately as really quite marvelous things, embodying the infusion of delight (and a bit of eroticism) into daily labor. I came across this pair near Lake George in Upstate NY--purchased from the sort of dealer who pulls things out of old houses that maybe haven't seen the light of day since the Civil War! These are 19th century I'm sure, with a great surface to the steel, in beautiful condition, and especially nice for the small size of the pin holding the legs together. Nice.
3 7/8" and in very good condition. Open to widest position (as shown in 2nd photo): 3" across measured from the interior of the heels; 4 5/8" from exterior of toes.
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