Balance
Object number2016.29.5
Manufacturer
Henry Troemner
OriginPhiladelphia, PA
MediumWood; Glass; Metal; Unknown liquid; Velvet
Credit LineGift of Polk State Center
DescriptionBalance scale inside wood and glass case.DimensionsHeight x Width x Depth: 7.25 × 15.5 × 7.188 in. (18.4 × 39.4 × 18.3 cm)InscriptionsMetal balance has demarcated measurements in "GRN" and "GRAM".
Reverse has rectangular white paper adehsive sticker at left center with printed black text "PROPERTY OF / POLK CENTER / No 010027".
MarksMetal maker plate mounted to front center of lid has text "HENRY TROEMNER / MAKER / PHILADELPHIA, PA. U.S.A. / CAP.4 OZ. NO. 540 CL. A Serial No. 479".
Historical NotesThis medical scale was used to measure the dosage of medication at Polk State Center. When Polk Center opened in 1897 it became the second institution in Pennsylvania built expressly to house and care for people with intellectual disabilities. The 2,000 acre site in rural Venango County allowed access to Pittsburgh via the railroad, but also isolated residents far from their families. Change in the care of people with disabilities over the past 100 years has influenced the lives of the residents and staff at Polk, as well as the surrounding community. This object is part of a collection that documents that important story. Label TextAt its peak in the mid-1950s, more than 3,400 people, including at least 500 children, lived at Polk. The objects that survive in the Polk collection document the care and treatment of people with intellectual disabilities over the course of the 20th century.
Related institution
Polk State Center
(founded 1897)
Subjects
Terms
On View
Not on view
The Torsion Balance Company
The Exact Weight Scale Company
Stanley
