Of all the decorative arts objects produced by the Pennsylvania Germans, none more typifies their social aspirations of success than does the tall clock.  Invariably the most expensive household furnishing, a clock often represented more than five percent of a family’s net worth.  This is an enormous amount, considering that agrarian owners’ lives were regulated by the natural rhythms of tending livestock and crops.  Hence they had little need to break days into hours and minutes, evidence that clocks were far more than just timepieces.

Clockmaking was a complex trade involving several craftsmen.  Generally the maker’s name painted on the clock face is that of the craftsman who made or assembled the works.  The case was ordered from a cabinetmaker.  When purchasing a case, customers could select from a wide variety of decorative elements, including woods, moldings, veneers and inlays, depending on how much they wished to spend.

This joint construction practice was true of the several clockmakers known to have been working in this region in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries.  The clocks seen here are representative of the types of clocks and cases available to local purchasers.

Since the tall clock was usually the most expensive household furnishing, they were often kept in the parlor, where visitors would be sure to see them. Tall clocks remained fashionable well into the first quarter of the nineteenth century but their popularity began to decline in the 1830s.  This decline was due, in part, to the introduction of mass-produced and relatively inexpensive shelf clocks imported from Connecticut. 

The Historical Society owns twelve tall case clocks.  Ten of the clocks are currently in the Shriver-Weybright Gallery as part of the Doorway to the Past exhibition .

Tall Case Clock, 1785-1810
Works by Eli Bentley
Taneytown, Md.
Case probably Frederick Co., Md.
Walnut
Gift of Arlene H. Williams, in memory of Mary and David Nusbaum of Taneytown.
2000.5.1

Although never inexpensive, the cost of a tall clock was determined by the quality of the works and case. Cased in native walnut with wrought iron “rat tail” door hinges and fitted with 30-hour works, this example was among the least costly works by Eli Bentley. Bentley (b.1752 – d.1822) began working as a clockmaker in West Whiteland Township, Chester County, Pa. and moved to Taneytown around 1782.

Tall Case Clock, dated 1815
Works by Eli Bentley
Taneytown, Md.
Case probably Frederick, Md.
Mahogany, mahogany veneer
Gift of Victor Weybright
69.2.1

Both the clock case and dial are neoclassical in proportions and ornament.  The use of mahogany and veneers, the high scrolled pediment, French bracket feet, and the fluting of the chamfers, collonettes, and plinths are typical of the finer cases made in western Maryland.  The painted moon dial covering the eight-day works features ovals in each corner. Joseph and Mary (Kalb) Biggs, the original owners of the clock, built a handsome stone house in Keysville in 1814.  Bentley charged $95 for this impressive clock the following year, evidence that the Biggs’ clearly wanted the best furnishings for their new home.

Tall Case Clock, 1810-1820
Works by Eli Bentley
Taneytown, Md.
Mahogany with cherry, tulip poplar
Museum Purchase
97.83.1

Clockmakers expressed their creativity in their work and no two pieces are exactly the same. For this clock, Bentley used American motifs including a ship flying an American flag as a design element on the moon phase dial.  Handsome gilded decorations complete the design. This example is similar to the clock Bentley made for Joseph Biggs in 1815. The clock was acquired by a family in New Jersey where it kept time for at least a century.

Tall Case Clock, c.1815
Jacob Wolf
Westminster, Md.
Walnut
Gift of Theodore F. Alban, in memory of his grandparents, Theodore F. "Bud" and Angela Boylan Shaeffer
2003.3.1

 Though J. Thomas Scharf stated in his History of Western Maryland (1882) that “Jacob Wolf at an early period manufactured clocks, many of which are still in use over the country,” few Wolf clocks are actually known to survive.  Jacob Wolf is an elusive figure.  An advertisement in the Star of Federalism newspaper from 1818 lists him as “having opened shop in Uniontown.”  By the mid-1820s, Wolf was working in Waynesburg, Pa.  Why he moved so often and where else he lived and worked is not known at this time.

 Tall clocks are very delicate and can be top-heavy and unstable.  This clock was damaged when it tipped and fell into another piece of furniture in the mid-1900s.  Repairing the damage to the door necessitated refinishing the case.  It was probably at that time that the glass cracked and the front feet were replaced.

Tall Case Clock, c.1810
Works by John Fessler, Sr.
Frederick, Md.
Cherry with tulip poplar
Bequest of Walter Dana Rudy
97.49.1

John Fesler, Sr. learned the clockmaking trade in Lancaster, Pa. before moving to Frederick shortly after the American Revolution.  Later, his son, John, Jr., joined him in the business. This clock originally belonged to John and Catherine Daub of Frederick County who were married in 1804.  Their granddaughter, Laura Routzahn Rudy, brought the clock with her to Mt. Airy in 1912.  Laura left the clock to her son, Walter, who willed it to the Historical Society. In the 1970s, the clock was shortened to fit into a Baltimore apartment. The waist of the clock was shortened and the ogee feet removed to reduce the overall height of the piece. The clock has also been refinished.

Tall Case Clock, c.1810
Possibly John Fessler, Sr.
Frederick, Md.
Walnut
Gift of Thelma Walden Littlefield Shriner
94.7.262

Though John Fessler, Sr. is believed to be the maker of this clock, the piece is not signed and the maker will probably never be determined absolutely.  Frederick was home to a number of clockmakers including Elijah Evans, Daniel Forrer, Frederick Heisely and George Schnertzel.  The donor purchased the clock and displayed it in her home, Hard Lodging, in Union Bridge, Maryland.

Tall Case Clock, c.1810
Works by Jacob Hostetter
Hanover, Pa.
Walnut, tulip poplar
Bequest of Granville E. Bixler
93.5.2

John C. and Jesse Englar Buckey were early owners of this timepiece by Pennsylvania clockmaker Jacob Hostetter. Although not inexpensive, the relatively plain walnut case and 30-hour works indicate the clock was purchased by someone of middling wealth.

Tall Case Clock, c.1810
Maker unknown
Probably New York
Cherry
Gift of Thelma Walden Littlefield Shriner
94.7.192

The owners of this clock, Robert Wyndham Walden and his wife Caroline, brought the clock with them when they moved to Maryland from New York in 1872.  The Waldens settled in Middleburg and established Bowling Brook Farm, where they bred and trained racehorses.  Later, their granddaughter (the donor) displayed the clock in the parlor of her home, Hard Lodging, in Union Bridge, Maryland.

Tall Case Clock, c.1815
Maker unknown
Cherry with tulip poplar
Bequest of Granville E. Bixler
93.5.1

John H. and Laura P. Fuss were the original owners of this magnificent clock.  The cabinet features a carved shell motif, fluted columns with brass bases and capitals, a broken arch pediment with carved rosettes and three flame finials.  The donor owned two tall clocks, which he inherited from members of his family.  He bequeathed both clocks to the Historical Society.

Tall Case Clock, c.1970
Works by C.R. Nusbaum
Taneytown, Md.
Cherry
Gift of Kenneth Nusbaum Hull
99.22.21

Though tall clocks are not as common as they once were, they are still very popular.  Old clocks are passed lovingly from generation to generation and new clocks are still being produced.  Though many of the modern tall clocks are mass-produced, some are still individually made by craftsmen.  Nusbaum appears to have based the design of this clock on those of Eli Bentley, who worked in Taneytown in the early 19^th century.

Historical Society of Carroll County
210 East Main Street, Westminster MD 21157
(410) 848-6494