Shelf Clock

During the nineteenth century, Connecticut was a leading manufacturer of clocks, particularly of domestically scaled shelf clocks. These industrially produced timepieces were eagerly consumed by a growing middle class hungry for well-made, attractive domestic goods.  Shelf clocks were available in every conceivable style; this example is in a late Neoclassical style. With an emphasis on clean, unadorned forms, lavish use of vividly figured wood veneers, and Neoclassical cornice moldings, scroll brackets, and columns, furniture of this type is commonly referred to as "pillar and scroll." This stately piece is labeled by William Lewis Gilbert, a clockmaker working out of Farmington, Bristol, and Winsted, Connecticut.

Geography: Made in Winchester, Connecticut

Culture: American

Period: 19th century

Credit: Gift of Charles T. Clark