Curtiss and Clark Shelf Clock, about 1825
date: label: date made
content: ca 1825
name: label: maker
content: Curtiss & Clark
notes: label: Description
content: Made about 1825, this clock represents an effort to incorporate imported springs, instead of falling weights, to drive the movement. At the time of its manufacture, there was no spring-making industry in the United States. The brass time-and-strike movement runs for eight days. The white-painted metal dial has Roman numerals, with separate seconds under numeral 12, and decorative shell spandrels. The mahogany case has front paw feet and a two-part front door. The door is inlaid with two brass strips; the ivory keyhole escutcheon is missing. The door’s upper glass covers the dial and the lower glass has a reverse-painted scene featuring two structures within a gilded border. There is also a gilded border encircling a clear opening to view the pendulum. The pendulum bob is brass-covered lead.
label: Description
content: Inside the case is a printed label that reads: “Eight Day Brass Clocks Made by Curtiss & Clark, Plymouth, Con. This Clock combines advantages over any other Clock made in this country, for convenience. It is made of the best materials, the springs imported from Geneva. All the directions necessary for this Clock are, when the Clock is oved, take off the pendulum ball, and tie down the rod; when set up, set it in a perpendicular position, in order to its having an equal beat. Printed by P.B. Goodsell, printer. Hartford."
label: Description
content: Heman Clark, once an apprentice to Connecticut clockmaker Eli Terry, designed this type of clock. Clark’s brother Virtue Clark manufactured about a hundred of these clocks with Garner Curtis(s) for about a year beginning in 1824.
label: Description
content: References:
label: Description
content: Bailey, Chris, and Blackwell, Dana. “Heman Clark and the Salem Bridge Clocks.” <i>NAWCC Bulletin Supplement</i> 13 July 1980.
label: Description
content: Vernimb, Bryan, and Taylor, Snowden. “The Hopkins Clockmakers of Litchfield and Harwinton, CT: Part 1B. Asa Hopkins, Litchfield.” <i>NAWCC Bulletin</i> 393(August 2011): 421-433.
label: Location
content: Currently not on view
place: label: place made
content: United States: Connecticut, Plymouth
setName: label: See more items in
content: Work and Industry: Mechanisms
label: See more items in
content: Measuring & Mapping
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: ME.317033
label: catalog number
content: 317033
label: accession number
content: 233061
objectType: label: Object Name
content: clock
label: Other Terms
content: clock; Mechanical, Spring-Driven; Shelf Clock
physicalDescription: label: Physical Description
content: brass (movement material)
label: Physical Description
content: wood (case material)
label: Measurements
content: overall: 22 1/2 in x 12 7/8 in x 4 3/4 in; 57.15 cm x 32.7152 cm x 12.065 cm
label: Measurements
content: base: 3 3/4 in x 12 3/8 in x 4 1/2 in; 9.525 cm x 31.4452 cm x 11.43 cm
label: Measurements
content: glass door, top: 6 3/4 in x 6 3/4 in; 17.145 cm x 17.145 cm
label: Measurements
content: glass door, bottom: 7 1/4 in x 6 1/4 in; 18.415 cm x 15.875 cm