CECIL E. HANSON COLLECTION
ANTIQUE SURVEYING INSTRUMENTS

FOREIGN LEVELS

Cornelius Knudsen - Denmark

Serial Number: 1132
Type: Probably used for construction or drainage
Telescope Length: 12"
Spirit level length: 5"
Height: 5"
Weight: 2-3 lb
Condition: Fair
Box: Wooden - 13" x 6.5" x 4"
Found: Cornelius-Knudsen Store in Copenhagen, Denmark - October, 1965
CEH Inventory# FL13

Cornelius Knudsen (Denmark) Surveying Level - ca. 1900. Serial Number: 1132. Original coating on the  level is partially worn away, showing brass, but otherwise the instrument appears to be in good condition in terms of functionality (optics, level bubble, adjustment screws, etc.). Original wooden case show wear. This instrument was purchased in Copenhagen, Denmark in 1965 at the Cornelius-Knudsen store and has been in a private collection since then. 

The Cornelius-Knudsen Instrument Maker Company was founded on March 10, 1838 by Jens Cornelius Knudsen (b. 1807, d. 1879). His son, Theodor Cornelius Knudsen, ran the business from 1870 and took over the company after his father's death. He drove it strongly both technically and in commercial respect. His new constructions of nautical and physical instruments became world famous. The company's meteorological and optical instruments also gained a reputation. The product range comprised optical, navigational, and surveying instruments, planimeters and equipment for telegraphy. A number of discovery expeditions used instruments made by Cornelius-Knudsen. His sons, Aage Cornelius Knudsen (b.1879) and Jens Cornelius Knudsen (b. 1885) joined as junior managers in 1905and 1908, respectively. - From information posted on the internet.