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James Harden & William Jones
Philadelphia Painted Tall Clock Dials: 1816-1845
by Paul J. Foley (MA)
M
any tall clocks, dating after about 1820, and made in Pennsylvania and surrounding states, have distinctive painted
tall clock dials often with bold Arabic hour numbers. Although
none of these dials is known to be signed by the maker, they have
for decades been attributed to known Philadelphia dial maker
William Jones (1800-1845). The overwhelming available data
points to him as their maker. This article does not dispute the
attribution of many of these dials to Jones but presents some new
evidence indicating that the story is more complicated than previously thought. It expands upon this data to touch on how Jones
learned dial painting, likely from Irish immigrant James Harden
(1782-1823). There are still many unanswered questions about
these Philadelphia Jones-style dials. For purposes of simplicity in
this article, all these dials are designated here as
“Jones-style” dials whether attributed to him or
not.
Most information about Jones’ dial painting
comes from a few short comments published in
December 1890 by Charles S. Crossman in The
Jewelers’ Circular and Horological Review (Figure 2):
The biggest puzzle about Jones is where and
Figure 2. William Jones’ history from the December
1890 The Jewelers’ Circular and Horological Review.
Figure 1. 13-inch tall clock dial signed for Irish clockmaker Joseph
Gordon / Ballymoney. Note bold Arabic numerals and gilt shells in
corners. Hemisphere maps were likely hand drawn rather than transferprinted. Unsigned cast-iron false plate. Dial attributed to James Harden,
ca. 1815. Note similarity to Heron dial on front cover.
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from whom he learned dial painting. His attributed dials are distinctive and do not follow any
previously recognized style. Prior to 1820 the
Philadelphia and mid-Atlantic states clockmakers relied primarily on the Boston firm of Nolen & Curtis (Spencer Nolen and Samuel Curtis,
1806-1824) to supply them with painted dials.
Their business was so strong that in 1817 Spencer Nolen moved from Boston to Philadelphia
and established a second branch of the business.1
This was probably in part because tall clocks
were waning in popularity in New England but
Pennsylvania was still producing large numbers
of them up until 1835-1840. It would seem logical that Jones could have been taught by Nolen,
but there is no evidence of this, and in fact Jones’
painting style is in no way similar to the Bostonpainted dials. More on Jones later after presenting a description of his distinct dial characteristics.
NAWCC Watch & Clock Bulletin • January/February 2014 •
3
© 2014 National Association of Watch and Clock Collectors, Inc. Reproduction prohibited without written permission.
JONES-STYLE DIAL CHARACTERISTICS
Most Jones-style dials have Arabic hour numerals
with outside minute numbering only at the quarters
(15/30/45/60). No full five minute number markings are
known on Philadelphia Jones-style dials. All Jones Arabic
dials have “tumbling” Arabic hour numbers. Tumbling refers to the orientation of the Arabic numbers on the lower
half of the dial being turned 180 degrees from the upper radial hour numbers. The hours 4 to 8 are not radial
around the time track but turned 180 degrees. This was
done for easier legibility. The outside minute number 30
and the seconds number 30 are also tumbled on Jonesstyle Arabic dials.
Jones used very heavy and bold Arabic hour numerals
on his dials. The Arabic numbers “6” and “9” are distinctive on Jones-style dials. The tails extend past the base
(main body) part of the number. The Arabic number “7”
has a teardrop-shaped taper to the lower stem. Extra-long
serifs are used on the Arabic numbers “2,” “3,” and “7”
(Figure 3).
Seconds bits are also numbered with Arabics only at
the quarters (15/30/45/60). Many other tall clock dials
mark the seconds bit every 10 seconds. Some Jones-style
Roman numeral dials exist, but they are not common
(Figure 5).
Figure 4. Unsigned false plate from
Hannaford tall clock dial in Figure 16.
Typical of rough cut sheet iron false
plates found on many Jones-style
Philadelphia moon dials. Size 5-1/2 x
7-11/16 inches.
Figure 3. Detail of Arabic numerals on Boyd dial in Figure 15. Note Jones-style bold
Arabic hour numerals with extended tails on “6” and “9,” shotgun “8,” extra-long
serif and teardrop-shaped “7.” Note also tumbled arrows on time track at “6, 7,
and 8.”
4 • January/February 2014 • NAWCC Watch & Clock Bulletin
Simple flower, shell, and fruit
corners are common decorations
on Jones-style dials. No raised gesso
work was used. Little gilt decoration
was used, but sometimes a gilt circle
was added inside or outside the time
track.
Jones made both 8-day and 30hour tall clock dials. Most Jones’
8-day dials are large 13- or 14-inch
dials, often with four hands off the
center, as preferred by many Pennsylvania tall clockmakers of this period.
Almost all 8-day Jones-style dials are
moon dials. All his 13- and 14-inch
8-day moon dials have four short
dial feet attached to a false plate.
These false plates are usually made of
thin sheet iron (Figure 4), but some
are known to be made of cast iron.
All known Jones false plates are unsigned; 30-hour Jones-style dials
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© 2014 National Association of Watch and Clock Collectors, Inc. Reproduction prohibited without written permission.
Figure 5. 14-inch unsigned Philadelphia tall clock moon
dial with Roman hour numerals. Note closed time track with
tumbled arrows. Note 30 minute and 30 seconds numeral
markers are not usually tumbled on Jones-style Roman dials.
Sheet iron false plate. 3-1/2-inch-diameter hemisphere maps
found on 14-inch Jones-style moon dials, ca. 1820.
Figure 6. 13-inch tall clock moon dial signed for clockmaker
John Nicholl / Belvidere, NJ. Four hands off center. Typical
Jones-style tumbling Arabic numerals and arrows. 3-1/8-inchdiameter hemisphere maps found on 13-inch Jones-style
moon dials. Sheet iron false plate. Nicholl moved to Belvidere
in 1822, ca. 1825. COURTESY OF DELANEY ANTIQUE CLOCKS.
COURTESY OF MICHAEL WHEELER.
have three long feet and usually do not have false plates.
A few 12-inch and one 15-inch tall clock dials are known.
Only one 12-inch Jones-style moon dial is known to the
author. It has four feet and no false plate. In addition
to tall clocks, Jones-style dials were also used on many
Pennsylvania shelf clocks.
To date, no Jones-style dials have been found signed
or labeled by Jones. This seems unusual, considering the
large volume of these dials, that he never identified any
of his work.
Arrows
One unique characteristic of many Jones-style dials
is the orientation of the five-minute arrows (triangles)
inside the dial double time track. These arrows on the
upper part of the dial point inward from 9 o’clock to 3
o’clock and outward on the lower part of the dial from
4 o’clock to 8 o’clock. These lower arrows are “tumbled”
like the Arabic numerals (Figure 3).2 Most other painted
dials (English or American) with similar time track arwww.nawcc.org
rows or markers always point inward around the entire
dial (or rarely, all point outward). These tumbled arrows
are believed to be unique to Jones-style dials. This one
feature is a strong attribution characteristic in and of itself. However, some Jones-style dials do not have a closed
time track with arrows (but dots every minute), so lack of
these characteristic tumbled arrows alone does not eliminate a dial as a possible Jones-style dial.
Shotgun Eights
On Jones-style Arabic dials the hour number “8” has
the top and bottom circles of the eight close to the same
size and oval shape (Figures 3 and 6). Collectors call these
“shotgun 8s” due to the similarity in shape to the end of a
double-barreled shotgun. On other manufacturers’ dials
the Arabic 8s usually have more fluid curved lines with
the bottom of the number larger than the top.
See Figures 13-16 for examples of other Jones-style dials with characteristics described above.
NAWCC Watch & Clock Bulletin • January/February 2014 •
5
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Moon Dials
There are at least two different
painting styles of Jones-style moon
discs. The early ones are similar to
those on Birmingham or Boston dials. The later Jones-style moons have
very bright colors. The moon faces
have eyes high up in the face, red
cheeks, and distinctive red lips with
a large lower lip (Figures 7 and 8).
Jones’ moon dials are all painted
on iron discs. No brass discs were used
like those used on early Birmingham
dials (Osborne, Wilson) and on some
early Boston (John Minott) dials.
Hemisphere Maps
Painted tall clock moon dials frequently have detailed Eastern and
Western Hemisphere maps on the
two “humps” that cover the moving
moon indication. These maps were
usually transfer printed in a similar
process used in transfer-printed ceramics. The detailed maps were engraved on a copper plate, which was
then inked, and a transfer medium—
probably special paper—was used to
transfer the image to the dial. This
meant that all maps from the same
engraved plate were identical, and
in many cases they can be used as
a “fingerprint” to identify the dial
manufacturer. Dial manufacturers
often used different transfer maps
on different size dials and sometimes
changed to new maps possibly because the engraved plates were wearing out.
There are only two known hemisphere map sets used on Jones-style
dials. Different maps are found on his
13-inch and 14-inch moon dials (Figures 9 and 11). Previously, these maps
were thought to be unique to Jonesstyle dials and that he must have had
the plates engraved in Philadelphia.
However, recently it was determined
that both sets of these transfer maps
(13-inch and 14-inch) were used previously by Birmingham, England,
dial manufacturer Kempson & Felton.
Jones-style 13-inch maps appear
identical to those used on an Englishmade four seasons moon dial with a
“Kempson & Felton / Birmingham”
false plate. These Jones-style 13-inch
maps are 3-1/8 inches in diameter.
Figure 7. Moon disc from Charles Cooper dial in Figure 13.
Typical Jones-style moon disc with vibrant colors. Distinctive
moon face with eyes set high in face, red cheeks, and large
lower red lip. 9-3/8-inch-diameter iron disc.
6 • January/February 2014 • NAWCC Watch & Clock Bulletin
Jones-style 14-inch maps also appear identical to ones found on another English-made four seasons
moon dial with a “Kempson & Felton
/ Birmingham” false plate.3 These
Jones-style 14-inch maps are 3-1/2
inches in diameter. Kempson & Felton were in business circa 1812-1815.4
The one known 15-inch Jonesstyle moon dial used the same maps
as on his 14-inch dials. The only
known 12-inch Jones-style moon dial
used his 13-inch maps cut down for a
smaller dial (see Figure 12). The obvious question arises about how these
engraved map plates found their way
from Birmingham to Philadelphia.
JAMES HARDEN
James Harden’s first known advertisement was placed in at least two
different Philadelphia newspapers in
September 1817 (Figure 10):
JAMES HARDIN, Clock Dial
Maker, from England, No. 18
DOCK STREET, INFORMS the
public, that he manufactures
CLOCK DIALS, of every description, equal, if not superior to any
Figure 8. Moon disc from John Nicholl dial in Figure 6.
Typical Jones-style moon disc with vibrant colors. Unusual in
having two landscape scenes rather than the typical opposing
seascape and landscape scenes on most moon discs. 8-5/8inch-diameter iron disc.
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© 2014 National Association of Watch and Clock Collectors, Inc. Reproduction prohibited without written permission.
Figure 9. Transfer-printed hemisphere maps used on all known 13-inch Jones-style PA moon dials. They are 3-1/8 inches
in diameter. These maps are on a dial signed for PA clockmaker Isaac Grotz. The same maps are known on an earlier
Birmingham dial with signed false plate of Kempson & Felton / Birmingham.
name is probably an error. Both
ads spell his last name with an
imported, which may be had at
“I” but all later newspaper, directhe Manufacturers prices, by aptory, or legal mention of his name
plication to Benj. & Ellis Clark,
uses an “E.” John Worrington is
Hildeburn & Woolworth, John
probably also a misspelling of
Worrington, or Phillip Garrett,
the name of Philadelphia clock
N. B. Clock Dials made to any
and watch maker John WarCaliper, or old ones repaired in
rington. Because these four firms
seven days.5
The spelling of Harden’s last
mentioned in the advertisement
sold dials made by Harden, they
Figure 10, right. James Harden
likely also used his dials on their
newspaper advertisement from
own tall clocks. But to date, none
Poulson’s American Daily Advertiser,
signed by these makers at this
Philadelphia, PA, September 9, 1817.
time period have been located.
Figure 11. Transfer-printed hemisphere maps used on all known 14-inch Jones-style PA moon dials. They are 3-1/2
inches in diameter. These maps are on a dial signed for Philadelphia clockmaker James Watson. The same maps are
known on an earlier Birmingham dial with signed false plate of Kempson & Felton / Birmingham.
www.nawcc.org
NAWCC Watch & Clock Bulletin • January/February 2014 •
7
© 2014 National Association of Watch and Clock Collectors, Inc. Reproduction prohibited without written permission.
Figure 12. Transfer-printed hemisphere maps used on the only known 12-inch Jones-style PA moon dial. These 3-1/8inch-diameter maps (usually found on 13-inch dials) have been cut down to fit the smaller dial. These maps are on a
dial signed for Flemington, NJ, clockmaker Joakim Hill. COURTESY OF MICHAEL G. POISSON.
Figure 13. 14-inch tall clock moon dial signed for PA
clockmaker Charles Cooper / Lebanon. Simple flowers in
corners. Typical Jones-style tumbling Arabic numerals and
arrows. 3-1/2-inch-diameter hemisphere maps found on 14inch Jones-style moon dials. Sheet iron false plate, ca. 18251830. COURTESY OF DELANEY ANTIQUE CLOCKS.
8 • January/February 2014 • NAWCC Watch & Clock Bulletin
Figure 14. 14-inch unsigned moon dial from a York, PA, tall
clock. Simple shell corners on bed of seaweed. Four hands
off center. Typical Jones-style tumbling Arabic numerals
and arrows. 3-1/2-inch-diameter hemisphere maps found
on 14-inch Jones-style moon dials. Sheet iron false plate.
Seatboard signed “York, PA / Oct. 26, 1825 / No. 88”, ca.
1825. COURTESY OF DELANEY ANTIQUE CLOCKS.
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© 2014 National Association of Watch and Clock Collectors, Inc. Reproduction prohibited without written permission.
Figure 15. 14-inch tall clock moon dial signed for Sadsbury,
PA, clockmaker John Boyd. Simple flowers in gilt basket
design in corners. Typical Jones-style tumbling Arabic
numerals and arrows. 3-1/2-inch-diameter hemisphere maps
found on 14-inch Jones-style moon dials. Sheet iron false
plate, ca. 1830. COURTESY OF DELANEY ANTIQUE CLOCKS.
Harden is listed in the 1818
through 1824 Philadelphia Directories
as a “clock dial and japan manufacturer, 18 Dock Street.”
Harden came to Philadelphia
from Belfast, Ireland, in 1816. The
Philadelphia Passenger Lists record
“Jas. Harden” arrived at Philadelphia
on Oct. 10, 1816, as a passenger on
board the British Brig Mary that departed from Belfast. Harden was listed as a “Cabin Passenger” with “Four
Trunks & boxes, bed & bedding” in
his cabin. The ship’s manifest also
enumerated Harden’s cargo: “Three
Casks, One Tierce [barrel or cask] &
two Boxes conty [containing] Clock
Dials, Clocks & Hardware - & loose
twenty eight Weights for Clocks.” No
family members traveling with him
on this ship are recorded.6
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Figure 16. 13-inch tall clock moon dial signed for unlisted
clockmaker T. W. Hannaford. Colorful gilt cornucopia designs
in corners. Typical Jones-style tumbling Arabic numerals and
arrows. 3-1/8-inch-diameter hemisphere maps found on 13inch Jones-style moon dials. Sheet iron false plate, ca. 18251830. COURTESY OF MICHAEL G. POISSON.
James Harden is not listed in Belfast
Directories,7 but there was a known
Harden painting dials in Belfast in
1806. The partnership of Harden &
Ryding (first names unknown) advertised on June 3, 1806, in the Belfast
News Letter:
HARDEN & RYDING, CLOCK
DIAL & TEA TRAY MANUFACTURERS, FROM BIRMINGHAM… have commenced business… at their Work Shop, No. 15,
Hill Street… CLOCK DIALS, warranted of the best Quality, at the
following Prices, viz.: – 13 inch
Moon Dials, with Brass Wheels,
21s,; 13 inch Moon Dials, Iron
Wheels, 20s. 6d.; 13 inch Solid
Arch Dials, 14s. 7½ d. Any person
purchasing Six Dials or more, will
be allowed Discount. Fancy Cor-
ners, and Names put on the Dials in the neatest manner, without any additional expense. Dials
made to any Pattern or Size.8
Note that they advertised as
“FROM BIRMINGHAM,” the center
of English painted-dial manufacturing.
A few distinctive painted tall clock
dials were recently discovered with
signatures of Irish clockmakers on
them and are believed to have been
painted in Ireland. Stylistically, they
can be attributed to Harden. (See
cover photo and Figure 1.) These dials bear a striking resemblance to
later Philadelphia dials attributed to
Harden and Jones. Harden’s likely involvement in the Belfast partnership
of Harden & Ryding (1806) and the
knowledge that he sailed to Philadel-
NAWCC Watch & Clock Bulletin • January/February 2014 •
9
© 2014 National Association of Watch and Clock Collectors, Inc. Reproduction prohibited without written permission.
phia from Belfast in 1816 makes this
attribution stronger. These Irish dials
(ca. 1810-1815) bear the same striking and unusual bold tumbled Arabic hour numerals found on Philadelphia Jones-style dials. The known
Irish dials attributed to Harden have
unsigned cast-iron false plates.
Dial restorer M. F. Tennant, in her
article on Irish painted dials, illustrates two dials (Tennant’s Figures 8
and 15),9 which have many characteristics of Philadelphia Jones-style
dials and were likely painted by
Harden before he moved to Philadelphia. Tennant’s Figure 15, in particular, a tall clock moon dial signed
for clockmaker Edward Johnston /
Ballymoney, has Jones-style distinctive tumbled Arabic numbers along
with the same shell corners found on
many later Philadelphia dials.
Harden died unexpectedly, and
his death notice read: “DIED, suddenly, on Tuesday evening, Mr. JAMES
HARDEN, Clock and Dial Manufacturer, aged 41… his funeral… from
his late dwelling, No. 50 South Frontstreet” (Poulson’s American Daily Advertiser, Sept. 4, 1823).
WILLIAM JONES
The published facts about William
Jones are fairly sparse. His common
name has complicated genealogical research on him. He was born
about 1800, location unknown. He
died in Philadelphia in 1845. He is
not known to have advertised and he
never signed his work.
It has been reported that Jones’
first Philadelphia Directory listing is in
1825,10 but in fact Jones is listed in the
“addendum” to the 1824 directory at
“50 South Front” street but no occupation is given. (The 1824 directory
was compiled in late 1823 to early
1824.) William Jones’ first full listing
is in the 1825 Philadelphia Directory as
“William Jones, japanner of clock dials and manuf: 50 s Front.” He was
then approximately 25 years old. By
1830 Jones combined his shop and
residence at 20 Strawberry Street. He
continued to be listed in directories
through 1845.
Note this address listed in 1824
for Jones, 50 South Front Street, was
Harden’s address in his 1823 death
notice. This indicates Jones was likely being trained by or working with
Harden.
Jones died in Philadelphia on September 15, 1845. His death record
gave his age at 45 years and cause of
death as apoplexy.11 He was buried in
the Philanthropic Burial Ground. In
the 1850 Federal census his widow,
Grace Edgar Jones, is listed in Philadelphia with seven children, ages 5
to 22 years of age.
OTHER PHILADELPHIA
DIAL PAINTERS
Complicating the picture, Harden
and Jones were not the only clock
dial makers in Philadelphia at this
time. Other dial painters included
the following:
Joseph Jones
In an 1834 U.S. Congressional
“Memorial of merchants, mechanics,
manufacturers… in Philadelphia,”12
a Joseph Jones is listed as a “clock
dial ornamenter” directly under a
listing for William Jones “clock dial
manufacturer.” His exact relationship to William is unclear. This is the
only known mention of Joseph, and
there is no Joseph Jones listed with
clock dials during this time in the
Philadelphia Directories. From 1837 to
1844 there is a Joseph Jones listed as a
looking-glass frame maker at various
addresses. Whether this is the same
individual could not be determined.
SUMMARY and CONCLUSIONS
James Harden arrived in Philadelphia in 1816, having traveled by ship
from Belfast, Ireland, with a load of
clock dials, clocks, hardware, and
weights. He established and advertised himself as a dial manufacturer
in Philadelphia. It seems likely that
he was the same Harden in the 1806
Belfast partnership of Harden & Ryding and also originally came to Ireland from Birmingham, England.
Harden’s attributed dials, painted
in Belfast and Philadelphia, bear a
striking similarity in style to many
later Philadelphia-painted dials attributed to William Jones. In fact,
Harden’s 1823 death notice and Jones’
first directory listing link them together at the same address: 50 South
Front Street. It seems likely that Jones
learned dial painting from Harden.
It also seems probable that Harden
brought the engraved transfer map
plates used on Jones-style moon dials with him from Birmingham via
Belfast to Philadelphia.
Without any signed dials by either
man, this evidence is circumstantial
and based in part on attributions, but
the known facts indicate strong connections between Harden and Jones.
It may not be possible to differentiate
the early Harden and Jones Philadelphia dials, because a great deal is still
to be learned about these early dial
painters. The author would be happy
to learn of any new information that
may confirm or discredit these theories.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
William Bond
Another dial manufacturer, William Bond, was also working in Philadelphia at this same time. Bond is
listed in 1825-1833 Philadelphia Directories as a “clock dial maker, 159
Moyamensing Road.” Being in business at least nine years means Bond
must have supplied many clock dials,
but to date, none have been identified. No further details about Bond
are known.
10 • January/February 2014 • NAWCC Watch & Clock Bulletin
Thanks to John M. Delaney and
Delaney Antique Clocks, Thomas
J. Spittler, Michael G. Poisson, Gary
R. Sullivan, Michael Wheeler, John
Robey, Elizabeth C. Connors, Philip
E. Morris.
All photos are by the author.
REFERENCES
Foley, Paul J. Willard’s Patent Time
Pieces: A History of the Weight-Driven
Banjo Clock, 1800-1900. Norwell, MA:
Roxbury Village Publishing, 2002.
www.nawcc.org
© 2014 National Association of Watch and Clock Collectors, Inc. Reproduction prohibited without written permission.
Forman, Bruce R. “The History of
William Jones.” NAWCC Bulletin, No.
334 (October 2001): 652.
Forman, Bruce R. “American Tallcase Clock Dials and Their Moondial
Hemispheres.” NAWCC Watch & Clock
Bulletin, No. 398 (July/August 2012):
357-365.
Jones, Joe. “More on William Jones.”
NAWCC Bulletin, No. 337 (April 2002):
225-226.
Spittler, Tom. “Ashwin & Co.: British
or American Dialmaker? and the William Jones Connection.” NAWCC Bulletin, No. 333 (August 2001): 436-446.
Spittler, Tom, and Snowden Taylor.
“More on William Jones Type Dials.”
NAWCC Bulletin, No. 346 (October
2003): 641-642
Spittler, Tom. “William Jones of
Philadelphia Dials.” NAWCC Bulletin,
No. 388 (October 2010): 536
Tennant, M. F. “The Painted Dial in
Ireland.” Antiquarian Horology, Vol. 19,
No. 4 (Summer 1991): 413-418.
Tennant, M. F. The Art of the Paint-
ed Dial. Mayfield, England: Mayfield
Books, 2010.
NOTES
1. Foley, 2002, 291-292.
2. This tumbled arrow characteristic was first recorded by John Darrow
and reported by Tom Spittler in Spittler
2003, 641-642. Tom has dubbed this
feature “Darrow’s arrows” in honor of
the late John Darrow.
3. Thirteen-inch dial sold at White’s
Auction, Middleboro, MA, on March 3,
2013, lot no. 215A; 14- inch dial sold
in England on eBay in March 2011.
4. Tenant 2010, 263-267.
5. Aurora & General Advertiser, September 6, 1817; Poulson’s American Daily Advertiser, September 6, 1817 (also
appeared in the September 8 and 9 editions).
6. Ancestry.com. Philadelphia Passenger Lists, 1800-1945. http://search.
ancestry.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?h=104116
18&db=philadelphiaPL&indiv=try.
7. Information from John Robey,
Mayfield, England.
8. David A. Bell, “The Leppers of
Belfast,” Antiquarian Horology, Vol. 31,
No. 3 (March 2009): 359.
9. Tennant, 1991.
10. Forman, 2001, 652.
11. Family Search.org. “Pennsylvania, Philadelphia City Death Certificates, 1803-1915,” index and images,
FamilySearch. https://familysearch.org/
pal:/MM9.1.1/J689-6PV.
13. Readex: Archive of Americana –
U.S. Congressional Serial Set – Pennsylvania – Restore Deposits to Bank U.S.,
Memorial of merchants, mechanics, manufacturers, traders, and others residing in
city and county of Philadelphia, in relation
to the public deposites (Feb. 10, 1834): 66.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Paul J. Foley is an independent
horological researcher residing in
Plymouth, MA. He is the author of
Willard’s Patent Time Pieces: A History of the Weight-Driven Banjo Clock,
1800-1900.
The National Watch and Clock Museum
by School of Horology Instructor Al Dodson.
NATIONAL WATCH & CLOCK MUSEUM
LIBRARY & RESEARCH CENTER
Thomas Tompion exhibit through January 18
Apr.-Nov., Tues.-Sat. 10 a.m.-5 p.m.
Monday-Thursday 8 a.m.-5 p.m.
Thomas Tompion sold over 700 clocks and 5,000 watches
Sunday noon-4 p.m.
Friday 8 a.m.-4 p.m.
beginning in the early 1670s until his death in 1713. His
Saturday
noon-4 p.m.
Memorial Day to Labor Day
relentless pursuit of quality, both artistic and mechanical, is
Closed
Sunday.
evident in the beauty and splendor of the casework and the
also open Monday 10 a.m.-5 p.m.
precision and ingenuity of the mechanisms. This magnificent exhibit is perhaps the largest public display of his work like the lantern clocks, was serviceable but technically obsoever assembled. Two watches, 14 clocks, and two sundials lete for its time. The other tall clock, made very late in his
life (ca. 1709) is a precision regulator showing both sidereal
are showcased.
Both watches are mechanically complex and magnifi- (star) time and mean (sun) time and is displayed here with
cently cased. The earliest (ca. 1681) has an alarm and strikes its mechanism mounted out of the case for viewing.
Two burl walnut tall case clocks from about 1700, althe hours. The other (ca. 1700) is a repeater that can indicate
the nearest quarter hour on a pair of gongs hidden within though similar in appearance, house quite different mechanisms. The tallest has quarter-hour striking and runs for a
the case.
The sundials remind us that, regardless of the aesthetic week between windings. The second strikes only the hour
or mechanical perfection of his work, Tompion was just as but runs for a month.
A duo of surprisingly small ebony table clocks, the smallconcerned with timekeeping and the pursuit of accuracy.
The larger, of heavy cast bronze, was designed to keep accu- est standing under 10 inches, exemplify the standard derate time by adjusting for the difference in latitude between signs Tompion offered for sale. Both strike the hours, ansummer and winter estates. The other, an engraved bronze nounce the nearest quarter-hour on demand, and can be
silenced at night.
sheet dial, shows time to the minute.
A pair of larger ebony table clocks resonate with the timeThere are also two turret, or tower, clock movements on
display. These two are the only known survivors from the less beauty of Tompion’s production. An original “shipping
few he made. Along with all the other clocks in the exhibit box” is also displayed, an astonishing survivor of 300 years.
they are running; the sound and motion bring the exhibit The “Sussex Tompion,” perfect of form and proportion, is
still copied today.
to life.
Of the two remaining clocks, the “Olivewood Tompion”
A charming pair of single-handed lantern clocks with
alarms, a style common long before Tompion’s birth, span may be the earliest surviving example of his work. An imthe years of his working life. The largest, circa 1680, al- posing table clock, it shows intriguing influences of earlier
though outdated, served the needs of its owner due, in part, London makers. The “Selby-Lowndes” is Tompion at the
to its mechanical integrity. The latter, circa 1708, was prob- pinnacle of his craft a combination of mechanical and artistic perfection.
ably used as a traveling alarm judging from its small size.
A pair of ebonized tall clocks present an interesting con- See pages 92-98 for a selection of Tompion timepieces in this exhibit.
trast. The oldest runs only one day between windings and,
See pages 58 and 75 for new Library offerings.
www.nawcc.org
NAWCC Watch & Clock Bulletin • January/February 2014 •
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