A fine Connecticut River Valley tall clock made near Walpole, New Hampshire. (Isaiah Eaton?) 223072.
This late 18th-century tall case clock features a cherry wood case. Its form is distinctive for an unusual base and foot design with five individual feet. We know of three other tall case examples sharing this form. All four clocks originated in the Walpole area of New Hampshire. One example is in the collection at Historic Deerfield, displayed upstairs in the Flynt Center of Early New England Life. That clock also has a cherry case and an engraved silvered dial signed by Walpole clockmaker Isiah Eaton. A second example, made by Charlestown clockmaker Stephen Hasham, is now privately owned. This clock is signed on its engraved silvered brass dial. The third clock, which we recently sold, shares the same case design. Its painted dial was done by the same hand that painted the dial of the clock we now offer. The movement construction also suggests they came from the same workshop. Neither painted dial example is signed by the clockmaker. Both have Walpole histories of ownership.
This case is the fourth sharing this construction. The cherry case has masculine proportions and a grain that varies in color. A modern shellac finish enhances this. The cabinet is elevated on a very unusual platform consisting of a double-step molding applied to the base's lower section. This molding transitions into five separate ogee bracket feet. The fifth foot is centered between the front two feet. The feet are carved from the same piece of wood as the moldings, which is very unusual. All five feet are original, boldly shaped, and include returns. The base panel features a figured cherry board oriented horizontally. A scalloped molding hangs below the lower waist molding. This decorative detail is often found on clocks made from Norwich, Connecticut, north through Worcester, Massachusetts, and into the Connecticut River Valley as far as Windsor, Vermont. The waist is section-long and centers a large tombstone-shaped waist door trimmed with applied molding. A fan with 20 radiants is carved into the door's center. This door provides access to the pendulum bob and two drive weights. Boldly fluted quarter columns are mounted at the front waist corners, terminating in turned wooden quarter capitals. The hood features a molded cornice with a New England-style fretwork pattern above the arched molding. Three fluted finial plinths support this fret, each topped with a brass ball-and-spike finial. The hood columns are turned smooth and mounted in brass capitals, flanking the arch-formed hood door fitted with glass. Additional columns are at the back of the hood, which also has large tombstone-shaped sidelights.
The painted iron dial is of local origin. It is made from multiple pieces seamed together and cut into this traditional shape. This suggests a professional dial maker did not make it. The artwork also supports this. The artist's hand is looser and less refined than artwork produced in Boston, MA, and Birmingham, England, at this time. The dial has a folk-art quality. The spandrel decorations feature colorful florals as a primary theme. This theme also appears in the lunette and centers the portrait of an unidentified gentleman. He is well-dressed and holds a flag in his right hand. He may have been familiar to the artist or the clock's original owner. The time is displayed traditionally. Each five-minute marker is in Arabic form, separated from the Roman-style hour numerals by a dotted minute ring. A subsidiary seconds dial and calendar date display are inside the time ring. Nicely shaped steel hands indicate the time.
This movement is constructed in brass and of good quality. Large brass plates are supported by four turned posts. The plates have a rounded cutout at the bottom to conserve brass. The front plate has an unusual "V"-shaped mounting point for the calendar gearing. This interacts with the dial display once every 24 hours. Hardened steel shafts support the polished steel pinions and brass gearing. The winding drums are grooved. The escapement is a recoil format. The movement is weight-driven and designed to run for eight days when fully wound. It is a two-train, time-and-strike design with a rack-and-snail striking system. It strikes the hour on a cast-iron bell mounted on a post above the movement.
This case has the following dimensions: 95 inches tall to the top of the center finial. It is 20.5 inches wide and 10.5 inches deep at the upper bonnet molding. It was made circa 1810.
Inventory number 223072.
Isaiah Eaton was born on October 15th, 1757, in Haverhill, Massachusetts, and died on January 21st, 1847, in Westminster, Vermont. His father was Captain Timothy Eaton and his mother was Abigail Massey. During the Revolutionary War, he worked as a private under James Sawyer and was present in Lexington when the alarm was given in 1776. By the close of the war, his rank had advanced to that of Major. In 1785 he married Priscilla West in Charlestown, New Hampshire; she died on November 5th, 1804. It is reasonable to suppose that he had completed his apprenticeship with Stephen Hasham before going to Walpole. In the New Hampshire Journal, Isaiah placed an advertisement on June 6th, 1793, stating that he was a silversmith and clockmaker and that his workshop was in Walpole, NH. This advertisement also said that he was looking for a steady, active boy about thirteen or fourteen to serve as an apprentice. In 1797, he purchased a farm which later became known as "Eaton Hill". In 1803 he advertised that he had moved from Walpole to Westminster, Vermont. The town of Westminster is situated just on the other side of the Connecticut River. In Westminster, he carried on a business in gold, silver, and clockmaking with Benjamin Kendrick under the firm name of EATON & KENDRICK. This partnership continued until August 5th, 1805. His first wife died shortly after the move to Westminster. He then married Azubah (Rockwood) Grout, who was a widow. They had one son in 1808. Both Isaiah and Azubah had been widowers prior to their marriage. In 1811, he was elected as a Representative. Three years later, he began serving the Town of Westminster as a selectman and held this post until 1826.
We are familiar with several tall case clocks. One of them has a brass dial with an engraved lunar calendar, a notable element in early American craftsmanship, and is marked 'Charlestown'. Another example of a brass dial bears the location 'Walpole' and is housed in the museum in Deerfield. A third clock, which was sold at Bill Smith’s in November 2009, also had an engraved brass dial signed 'Walpole'. I. M. Weise listed a brass dial in Antiques Magazine in February 1977 on page 291. Thomaston Auction Gallery sold a painted-dial example in March 2007. There is also another painted dial example, which is now in the collection at Drexel University.
