Clock, Shelf

Object Name:

Clock, Shelf

Object ID:

1972.089.025

Creator:

Forbes, Wells (1812-1880); Brewster, E. C. & Company

Place of Origin:

Bristol, NH/Bristol, CT

Date:

1842-1844

Description:

Shelf Clock. Made by Wells Forbes (1812-1880), Bristol, NH; movement made by E. C. Brewster & Company, Bristol, CT; 1842-1844. Materials: mahogany; brass (movement); zinc (dial); secondary wood white pine. Vertically oriented rectangular door with two glazed panels -- clear glass above and mirror below. Upper panel slightly greater in height. Case with flat ogee-molded top and vertical ogee moldings flanking door. Door fastened with brass catch. Square painted zinc dial beneath upper glass panel, with roman numerals on convex chapter ring and steel hour and minute hands matching in design. Each spandrel decorated with a floral spray painted in shades of pink with green foliage. Two winding holes below center of dial. Thirty-hour brass spring movement with strike. Case veneered. Veneers cracked and looks in several areas. Mirror backed with heavy paper. Brass hanger. Several nail or screw holes in backboard. Two printed labels glued to interior, on backboard and mirror panel respectively. One is headed "DIRECTIONS FOR KEEPING IN ORDER FORBES' PATENT BRASS SPRING CLOCK.". The other reads in part: "PATENT BRASS SPRING / BRASS BUS[HE]D, ALARM, / AND / IMPROVED / CLOCKS, / MANUFACTURED AND SOLD BY / Wells Forbes, / BRISTOL, N.H., 1842.". Both labels printed by Asa McFarland, Concord, N.H. Several pencil inscriptions on interior of door frame giving names and dates of cleanings and/or repair work in 1857, 1863 (?), 1864, and 1880, including name of R. Morrill, known to have repaired many New Hampshire clocks. Separately stored parts: winding key, pendulum bob (note -- as of 7/2006 cataloging, 2 keys and bob found inside clock case).

Material:

Wood
Mahogany
Pine
Brass
Iron
Glass

Dimensions:

H-20.125 W-14.125 D-4.125 inches

Provenance:

Clock made by Wells Forbes of Bristol, NH (in business 1840s); movement made by E. C. Brewster & Co., Bristol, CT (in business 1840-1843). Clock has inscriptions of cleanings/repairs, including those done by Reuben Morrill (1825-1879) of Concord, NH. Clock acquired by donor in 1954 from John Glidden (1882-1965), East Derry, N.H. (Glidden was in the shoe business in Derry; was married but probably had no children; perhaps the clock descended in his family).
It is part of a large collection of clocks and related materials made in New Hampshire, but also several made elsewhere, acquired in New Hampshire by the donor (Charles S. Parsons, 1904-1988) and probably used here.

Credit Line:

Gift of Charles S. Parsons

People:

McFarland, Asa (1804-1879), Glidden, John (1882-1965), Brewster, Elisha, Forbes, Wells (1812-1880), Morrill, Reuben (1825-1879), Parsons, Charles S. (1904-1988)

Subjects:

Manufacturing