Time has never passed as elegantly as in the 19th Century, when American makers rivialed their British counterparts. Today Andrea Valluzzo lets us know why we are so drawn to timepieces,  from the capricious to the classic.

American clocks come in many forms and there is at least one guaranteed to make your pulse quicken in desire. While the iconic tall case clocks, aka grandfather clocks, are the best known, other styles are avidly collected.

Tall case clock is by William Cummens of Roxbury, MA, circa 1795

They include such charmers as  banjo cocks, lyre form  and lighthouse clocks (so named for their shapes).  Add to that list wall, shelf clocks and mirror clocks and you begin to see that there were clocks for every taste and every household – and tavern.

Tavern clocks, popular in England, came to America in the mid 19th Century but failed to impress New England audiences, so period examples are hard to find.

Banjo clocks are among the most charming of all clock styles, in my humble opinion. The style was introduced by Simon Willard, a Roxbury, MA clockmaker and member of the Willard family clockmaking dynasty, in the early 19th Century.

More affordable to most people at the time than tall case clocks, banjo clocks had a great impact on American clockmaking. A glass pane underneath the clock was beautifully decorated, usually with landscapes, seascapes, or slice-of-life scenes, as in today’s featured image by Reuben Tower. The polychrome painting on the bottom depicts a shepherdess and her flock.

The clockmaking industry was centered in New England.  Famous makers include Seth Thomas, Eli Terry, Elias Ingraham and Co., the Ansonia Clock Co., and the New Haven Clock Co. The Willard clockmaking dynasty was begun in 1766 by Benjamin Willard in Grafton, MA and his three younger brothers (Simon, Ephraim and Aaron) soon joined the trade. Thus began a three-generation family business, according to the Willard House and Clock Museum.

Seth Thomas apprenticed to Eli Terry before buying Terry’s Connecticut factory in 1810. He first made tall clocks but then began making the shelf and mantel clocks that he is so closely associated with today. The firm passed to his his sons, who  then produced Adamtine veneer clocks to compete with French marble clocks. They manufactured series named for cities and US presidents. The firm was the longest running American clockmaker, producing clocks until the 1950s. The company was the acquired.

An elegant clock dial featuring gilt spandrels and decorations

American clocks were a staple of most well-to-do homes in the 19th Century and are lovingly displayed in homes today as symbols of finest American craftsmanship and the spirit of ingenuity.