Tall-Case Clock
Clock Maker
Shubael Storrs
(American, 1803 - 1828)
Clock Dial by
Osborne's Manufactory
(English)
Case by
Maker unknown
Datec. 1805
MediumCase: Mahogany, cherry, eastern white pine, satinwood; inlay of various woods; works: brass, silvered brass, iron, steel
DimensionsOverall: 97 x 21 1/8 x 10 3/4in. (246.4 x 53.7 x 27.3cm)
ClassificationsT&E FOR TIMEKEEPING
Credit LineMuseum Purchase
Terms
Object number50.37
DescriptionMahogany tall clock with fine inlay of American eagle and floral motifs. Made in Utica by Shubael Storrs, a watchmaker and silversmith, active 1803-1847.On View
On viewCollections
Copyright<a rel="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/"><img alt="Creative Commons License" style="border-width:0" src="https://i.creativecommons.org/l/by-nc/4.0/80x15.png" /></a><br />This work is licensed under a <a rel="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/">Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License</a>.
Label TextVery little early nineteenth-century Utica furniture is documented. The Museum's tall-case clock is testimony to the quality of life in the city at that time. Its maker, Shubael Storrs, assembled the works from imported English parts. A specialist who sought to imitate expensive and refined classical furniture manufactured in larger urban settings was most likely to have been the maker of the case. The combination of the patterned and pictorial inlays on the exterior of the case bespeaks a craftsman whose command of design was not as sophisticated as many of his more cosmopolitan colleagues.
Tall-case clocks, also termed long-neck clocks in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, today are commonly referred to as Grandfather clocks. This nomenclature is probably derived from the popular song written by American Henry Clay Work (1832-84) in 1876 and entitled "Grandfather's Clock."
