Nineteenth Century Technology

I don't usually spend that much time weighing my yarn (the constant weighing of remaining yarn while I knit the purple shawl was an aberration, I swear!), but the second I left my digital scale at home to visit my parents, I needed it constantly.

Over one 24-hour period, I needed to divide not 1, not 2, but 4 skeins of yarn into equal halves! (One skein for socks, and the rest for the wraps for Afghans for Afghans that my mom and I are making.)

Fortunately, the 19th century was able to help me out:



And I mean the 19th century literally:



That last line says the scale was patented in 1886! (Also, how many Beckers were involved in this business anyway? There's the current Becker, Christian, but also the original Becker in Becker & Sons, at least 2 sons, and at least 2 brothers in Becker Bros. So 6? Or maybe some of the sons were also the brothers?).