Clock, Mirror

Object Name:

Clock, Mirror

Object ID:

1972.089.060

Creator:

Dutton, David (1792-1882)Clockmaker

Place of Origin:

Mont Vernon, NH

Date:

circa 1835

Description:

Mirror Clock. Made by David Dutton (1792-1882), Mont Vernon, NH; c. 1835. Vertically oriented rectangular door, of panel construction, extending full width of clock between flat base and cornice. Scrolled gallery at front and sides; plinths at ends of front gallery. Two glazed panels in door--clear glass above and mirror below. Upper panel 10 3/8" in height, lower panel 14 5/8". Stiles of door decorated on face with applied split balusters and applied corner blocks. Turnings of flattened ball and cylindrical types, former gilded and latter painted black. Corner blocks and front gallery painted black with stenciled floral and foliate designs in bronze. Door secured with brass hook. Square, painted wooden dial, beneath upper glass panel, with Roman hour numerals and pierced steel hour and minute hands matching in design. Painted decoration, partly in relief, including floral wreath surrounding center of dial and floral sprays in spandrels. Executed in blue, white, and green with gilt borders. Two winding holes with brass grommets below center of dial. Terry-type, thirty-hour wooden movement with strike. Wood of turnings and corner blocks unidentified. Front gallery pine. Remainder of visible surface of case veneered with mahogany. Dial probably tulip poplar. Several nail holes in backboard. Large printed label glued to inner surface of lower backboard, reading in part: "Patent / Clocks, / Manufactured & Sold / by / David Dutton, / Mont Vernon, N.H." Printed at the "Cabinet Office", Amherst, NH. MIrror backed with pine on which are pencil inscriptions giving names and dates of cleanings and/or repair work from 1852 to 1923, including one in Warner, NH in 1874: "cleaned by J. E. Nichols / Warner / N.H. / Nov. 19 1874", "John A. George / Dec. 1 1923 / age 14 / cleaned and repaired", "Feb. 2 1871 / [L or S or J] W Greene / Aug. 27th 1879", and "J. Bailey Feb 18 1852". Weight sheaves projecting through top of clock. Separately stored parts: pendulum bob, winding key, two cast iron weights (cylindrical).

Material:

Wood
Mahogany
Hardwood
Pine
Brass
Iron
Glass

Dimensions:

H-34.25 W-15.75 D-15.25 inches

Provenance:

Clock with maker's label of David Dutton (1792-1882), Mont Vernon, NH. Also has several dates of cleanings, including one from Warner, NH, in 1874.
Clock acquired by donor in 1955 in Salem, NH.
Part of a large clock collection (and related materials) including not only clocks made in NH, but also several made elsewhere, acquired in NH by the donor, Charles S. Parsons (1904-1988), and probably used here.

Credit Line:

Gift of Charles S. Parsons

People:

George, John A. (c. 1909- ), Bailey, J., Dutton, David (1792-1882), Parsons, Charles S. (1904-1988), Greene, Sylvester W. (1820- ), Nichols, Joseph E. (1851-1899)

Subjects:

Manufacturing