{"product_id":"out-of-africa-compass-elliot-bros-c-1901","title":"'Out of Africa' | Elliot Bros. Military Compass c.1901","description":"\u003cp\u003eA Verner's Mk IV military prismatic service compass, made by Elliot Brothers, dating from c.1901. This compass is almost identical to the one that features in the Oscar winning 1985 film 'Out of Africa', which starred Meryl Streep and Robert Redford. In the film the compass is given to\u003cstrong\u003e \u003c\/strong\u003eKaren Blixen (Meryl Streep) by Denys Finch Hatton (Robert Redford). The compass used in \u003cem\u003eOut of Africa\u003c\/em\u003e was Denys Finch Hatton's actual compass, but it was lost during the making of the film.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe lid of the compass is engraved 'Elliot  Bros., London', and the base is engraved with the name 'H. B. Cox'. Lt-Colonel Harold Bennett Cox was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant in the Royal Artillery in June 1899. Educated at St. John's College Cambridge, he served in South Africa during the Boer War from 1899-1902, and on the Western Front with the Royal Artillery from 1916-1918.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe Mark IV Verner compass originated around the time of the Boer War, and was produced for a relatively short time, c.1901-1906, being replaced by Lt-Colonel Verner's later designs around 1907. In the 1901 J. H. Steward \u003cem\u003eIllustrated Catalogue of Military Instruments\u003c\/em\u003e it was described as 'The Service Luminous Prismatic Compass Mark IV, with Lieut-Colonel Verner's Patent direction scale and bar, pearl dial, luminous painted centre, with cardinal points indicated by arrowheads and lines. Bronzed brass case with adjustable hinged prism.' By 1907 this compass was no longer listed in the Steward catalogue, having been replaced by the Verner Mk V. \u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eVersions of this compass design were made by Elliot Brothers, J. H. Steward Ltd and Francis Barker \u0026amp; Son. An example of Barker's version of the Mk IV can be seen at compassmuseum.com.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe compass has a mother of pearl card, with a luminous painted centre and black painted cardinal  points. The luminous compound used was most probably a version of  'Balmain's Luminous Paint' (patented by William Balmain in 1877), which was activated by exposure to very bright light, often created by burning a strip of magnesium ribbon. The compass also features a hinged prism, rotating bezel with black painted bearing marker, a transit lock operated by a sliding button on the side of the case, and a push-button manual brake. It is signed 'Elliot Bros., London' on the lid. The compass retains almost all of its original bronzed finish, and comes complete with its fitted leather case.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eElliot Brothers:\u003c\/strong\u003e was originally established at Gray's Inn in London by William Elliot (1781-1853) as a maker of drawing instruments. By 1807 he had moved to High Holborn, and by 1816 he was manufacturing items such as telescopes and barometers. In 1830 he moved to 56 Strand and was joined in the business by his two sons, Frederick Henry Elliot and Charles Alfred Elliot, and they expanded into producing a wide variety of scientific instruments. William Elliot died in 1853 and his sons continued the business as Elliot Brothers. In 1865 Charles Elliot retired and Frederick continued to run Elliot Brothers until his death in 1873, leaving the business to his wife. During the late 19th century the company also manufactured electrical instruments, and in 1893 they amalgamated with Theiler \u0026amp; Co. Telegraph and Instrument Makers. In 1900 the company moved to new premises at the Century Works in Lewisham. In 1916 a new company was formed - this was known as Elliot Brothers (London) Ltd and continued to produce scientific and mathematical instruments.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCondition:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn very good condition, full working order, and finds North very well. The leather case is in very good condition, with some minor wear to the strap.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eDimensions :\u003c\/strong\u003e 52mm (diameter, 72mm inc. prism)\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cbr\u003eDenys Finch Hatton (1887-1931) \u003c\/strong\u003ewas an aristocratic big-game hunter and the lover of Baroness Karen Blixen (also known by her pen name, Isak Dinesen), a Danish noblewoman who wrote about him in her autobiographical book \u003cem\u003eOut of Africa\u003c\/em\u003e, first published in 1937. \u003cstrong\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003eFinch Hatton met Baroness Blixen at the Muthaiga Club on 5 April 1918. Soon afterwards he was assigned to military service in Egypt. On his return to Kenya after the Armistice he developed a close friendship with Blixen and her Swedish husband, Baron Bror Von Blixen Finecke. He left Africa in 1920 but returned in 1922, investing in a land development company. By this time, Karen Blixen had separated from her husband, and after their divorce in 1925, Finch Hatton moved into her house and began leading safaris for wealthy sportsmen. One of his clients was Edward, Prince of Wales. According to the author Mary Lovell, in 1930 Finch Hatton began a love affair with Beryl Markham, who was working as a race-horse trainer in Nairobi and the surrounding area. Later, she would become known as a pioneer flyer.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOn the morning of 14 May 1931, Finch Hatton's Gypsy Moth took off from Voi airport, circled the airport twice, then plunged to the ground and burst into flames. Finch Hatton and his servant Kamau were killed. In accordance with his wishes, Finch Hatton was buried in the  Ngong Hills, \u003ca title=\"Ngong Hills\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Ngong_Hills\"\u003e\u003c\/a\u003eoverlooking nairobi National Park. Later, his brother erected a memorial at the gravesite upon which he placed a simple brass plaque inscribed with Finch Hatton's name, the dates of his birth and death, and an extract from Coleridge's epic poem \u003cem\u003eThe Rime of the Ancient Mariner:\u003c\/em\u003e \"He prayeth well, who loveth well both man and bird and beast\".\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eKaren Blixen (1885-1962) \u003c\/strong\u003ewas a Danish author who wrote works in Danish and English. She is best known under her pen name \u003cb\u003eIsak Dinesen\u003c\/b\u003e. She also published works using the aliases Osceola and Pierre Andrézel. Blixen is best known for \u003cem\u003eOut of Africa\u003c\/em\u003e, an account of her life while living in Kenya. Blixen was considered several times for the Nobel Prize for Literature. In 1918, Karen Blixen met the English big game hunter Denys Finch Hatton. He often travelled back and forth between Africa and England, and visited her occasionally. After her separation from her husband, Blixen and Finch Hatton developed a close friendship, which eventually became a long-term love affair. In a letter to her brother Thomas in 1924, she wrote: \"I believe that for all time and eternity I am bound to Denys, to love the ground he walks upon, to be happy beyond words when he is here, and to suffer worse than death many times when he leaves\". Finch Hatton used Blixen's farmhouse as a home base between 1926 and 1931. He died in the crash of his Gipsy Moth biplane in May 1931. At the same time, the failure of the coffee plantation, as a result of mismanagement, the height of the farm, drought, and the falling price of coffee, forced Blixen to abandon her beloved estate.\u003csup\u003e \u003c\/sup\u003eBlixen returned to Denmark in August 1931 to live with her mother and remained in Rungstedlund for the rest of her life.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Compass Library","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48150617358487,"sku":null,"price":434.95,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0275\/6131\/files\/ElliotVernersMkIV-32.jpg?v=1787325059","url":"https:\/\/www.compasslibrary.com\/en-ie\/products\/out-of-africa-compass-elliot-bros-c-1901","provider":"Compass Library","version":"1.0","type":"link"}