Banjo Clock

Maker Simon Willard (American, 1753 - 1848)

Collections

ClassificationsDECORATIVE ARTS

Dateca. 1805

Mediummahogany, glass, reverse-painted glass panels, and brass

Dimensions29 1/2 x 9 3/4 x 4 in. (74.9 x 24.8 x 10.2 cm.)

DescriptionBanjo clock from Roxbury, Massachusetts

SignedThe eglomise base panel signed: S. Willard Patent

InscribedThe eglomise base panel signed: S. Willard Patent

Credit LineThe Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens. Gail-Oxford Collection

Status

On view

Label TextKnown as a “banjo” clock because of its distinctive shape, wall-mounted time pieces such as this became immensely popular in this country in the first quarter of the 19th century.

First developed and patented in 1801 by Simon Willard, these clocks were simply designed and manufactured making them affordable to an ever-expanding American middle class.

Object number2016.11.16