W. & S. JONES INSTRUMENT-MAKING CONTEXT, LONDON, 1801–1830 · OBJECTS
Plane table and sighting alidade
What it means: The named outfit is attributed to W. & S. Jones in London, 1801–1830. Its collection record separates original components from a modern sheet, a replica sleeve combined with an original ball-and-socket, and a separate museum-made display support.
A plane table holds a sheet for field observations, while an alidade provides a line of sight. The Science Museum Group outfit combines a wooden board, brass sighting rule and tripod. Its catalogue distinguishes original parts, a modern paper sheet and later museum components.
A modern invitation to observe carefully before drawing a line.
Often chosen for: New beginnings & hope · Care, gratitude & remembrance
Respectful use: This source-informed decorative outfit is based on SMG 1917-106, not an exact replica or wholly original historical assemblage. The blank sheet is an opaque functional part of the object; no property boundary, sensitive location, colonial map or maker signature is reproduced. The board, common tripod head, three legs and two aligned alidade vanes are shown as a complete visible assembly. The separate museum display support is not an extra leg. Source object dates do not date the undated photographs. The illustration is neither calibrated surveying equipment nor a working survey, and supplies no conquest narrative or claim of land ownership. The institutional image licence does not establish commercial reuse; source-image and target-use reviews remain open. Original generated decorative artwork, without a replica, working-instrument or institutional-endorsement claim. Blue and gold are editorial colors. No blanket commercial or manufacturing clearance is claimed. Legal and community review remain separate.
