Dating to the first half of the 19th century and exhibiting the kind of expressive forging that places them squarely in the realm of American industrial folk art. Forged entirely by hand from flat iron stock, the calipers feature gracefully flowing serpentine legs terminating in rare and highly unusual double-booted or forked measuring ends—a form seldom encountered and likely intended to straddle or reference specific edges while measuring turned or forged work.

The elegant curvature of the legs, combined with the distinctive forked “boot” tips, gives the tool a striking sculptural quality that goes far beyond the purely utilitarian. Such forms were typically produced by skilled shop blacksmiths or early machinists before widespread factory production of precision measuring tools. The pivot is secured with an early hand-peened riveted joint, and the body bears a struck maker’s or owner’s stamp, “E.S.”, further reinforcing its period authenticity and individual shop origin.

Examples with this distinctive double-foot configuration are extremely scarce. Most surviving 19th-century calipers terminate in simple pointed nibs, making this specialized and visually compelling form particularly desirable to collectors of early tools, blacksmith artifacts, and American folk-art ironwork.