thenandnow

Recent photo: www.panoramio.com/photo/33350752

"One of Lakeland’s most famous features, this 2000 ton stone, some 30 feet high, fifty feet across and ninety feet in circumference, rests in a state of delicate balance. It did not topple down from the mountain side like most visitors assume, for it is not a local rock. It was most likely carried here from Scotland by the glaciers of the Ice Age.

"It possibly gets its name from Balder, son of the Norse God Odin, but there are no legends attached to this boulder." — Visit Cumbria

 
Bowder Stone – Then and Now 100+ years later

Oddly enough, there are few visible changes in the Bowder Stone over the past 100 years.

"Bowder Stone (2012)" by NorthernLittlePenguin      "Bowder Stone (c.1900)"           by LOC
             

The Koppang Station in Stor-Elvdal, Norway is on the Røros Line with services provided by the Norwegian State Railways. [1]

Koppang Station – Then and Now (100+ years later)
The station was designed by George Bull, and opened in 1875. Several additions have been added (and some removed) over the years, however the main station building remains wonderfully unchanged. The latest change (March, 2012) is the addition of a small, modular waiting shelter (penthouse). [2] [3]

 
"Koppang Station (2010)" by Jan-Tore Egge       "Koppang Station (c.1880)"   by Axel Lindahl
     
 

Thank you for the interesting additional information!

This is The Great Seal of the United States.
Shown are the die, the counter-die, and the press.
The device is kept at the State Department.

"These stand in the Exhibit Hall of the Department, [and are now] inside a glass enclosure which is kept locked at all times, even during the sealing of a document. The mahogany cabinet’s doors also are kept locked, and the press is bolted and padlocked in position except when in use." [1]

More information, including photographs, about the history of the seal dating back to July 4, 1776, can be read at the State Department's Bureau of Public Affairs.

The Great Seal in use today

Pixel Wrangler Good answer Pixel. I thought it was some kind of hot air regulator.

another photo commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Great_Seal_press_with_All...

Thanks Pixel Wrangler for figuring out what this is. We'll update the catalog record. They may keep it locked up today but back then apparently it was not so secure.

To stamp a document.