Stephen Taber. New Bedford, Massachusetts. A testament to exquisite craftsmanship, this commanding tall clock features a lunar calendar dial and an alarm, a true masterpiece of its time. ZZ-60.
This richly veneered clock has a commanding presence. The case is well proportioned, with long, slender lines. It is made of mahogany and decorated with satinwood or birch panels and she-oak banding. The secondary wood is white pine. The contrast between the light-brown mahogany and honey-yellow satinwood is striking. This design stands out and draws attention from across the room.
The case stands on four nicely shaped flared French feet forming a drop apron below the base panel. Along the outer edge, the base is framed with a narrow band of she-oak, a decorative wood common in Southern Massachusetts cases. The base panel is complex, showcasing the maker's attention to detail. The center oval is mahogany with a knot, its grain radiating outward in concentric bands like the cosmos. It is framed by a satinwood panel with ovolo corners. The outer mahogany framing is cross-banded. The waist is long and narrow, emphasizing the case's slender proportions. The front corners have long fluted quarter columns ending in brass quarter capitals. Rectangular posts below the columns are faced with crotch satinwood panels. The center of the waist features a rectangular door with the same design as the base panel but elongated. This door is trimmed with simple rounded she-oak molding and opens to access the two drive weights and brass-faced pendulum. It locks with a key. Satinwood panels are positioned above and below the waist door. The bonnet is topped with delicate fretwork and a beautiful design. Three capped plinths faced in satinwood each support a brass ball-and-spike finial. Fully turned bonnet columns are fluted, mounted in brass capitals, and flank the door. The bonnet door is arched, line-inlaid, and fitted with glass. It opens to reveal a nicely painted dial.
This painted dial is signed by the maker, "S. Taber," above the numeral six on the time track. A moon phase mechanism or lunar calendar is in the arch of the dial. This mechanical almanac was likely made to special order due to the extra work involved. It was valuable to several colonial-era occupations, showing the clock's practical uses. Farmers tracked moon phases to anticipate nights with the most moonlight, aiding in scheduling tilling and harvesting. Sailors and merchants used lunar phases to know when high tide would allow ships to sail or when fishing was best. Many religious groups had rituals tied to specific lunar cycle times. The lunar month is 29 days, 12 hours, 44 minutes, and 2.8 seconds. A tall clock's lunar calendar is set at 29.5 days, representing a full cycle. Thus, a 9-hour setback is needed yearly to keep the display current. The painted iron dial features unusual spandrel decorations. Floral swags surround floral-themed medallions. The colors—green, gold, and purple—are uncommon. The time track has Arabic five-minute markers separated from Roman-style hours by a dotted minute ring. The seconds display and calendar dates are in traditional locations. Open diamond-stylized steel hands show the time. A third brass hand sets the alarm.
This movement is made of brass and is of good quality. Four turned pillars support two sizable rectangular brass plates. Hardened steel shafts hold the polished steel pinions, brass gearing, and recoil escapement. The winding drums are grooved. The weight-driven movement runs for eight days on a full wind. It is a time-and-strike design with a rack-and-snail striking system. It strikes each hour on a cast iron bell mounted above the movement. The movement also has an alarm mechanism mounted on the right side. It is wound separately from the main clock mechanics by pulling a cord inside the case to raise the drive weight. The alarm is set by moving the brass alarm hand on the dial to the desired time. When triggered, it strikes the hour bell rapidly until the alarm weight runs out. This rare feature is unusual on American tall-case clocks, making this clock a unique and exclusive piece for collectors.
This clock was made circa 1810. It is a living relic of our rich history.
Dimensions: 99 inches tall, 20 inches wide, and 10.5 inches deep.
Inventory number ZZ-60.
Stephen Taber was born on October 23, 1777, in Dartmouth, Massachusetts, and died in New Bedford on September 10, 1862, and is buried in the Acushnet Cemetery. His parents were Thomas Taber (1740-1802) and Elizabeth (Bourne) Taber (1733-1818).
His older brother Elnathan was nine years his senior and had moved North to Roxbury, where he apprenticed as a clockmaker under Simon Willard. Simon considered Elnathan a highly skilled mechanic and his best apprentice. Elnathan remained in Roxbury after his indenture and continued to build clocks for himself and others in the Roxbury Clockmakers' group. Because of Elnathan's success, it is logical to assume that Stephen was also attracted to the clockmaking community in Roxbury. Stephen was trained in Boston by Aaron Willard, Simon's younger brother. By 1798, Stephen is recorded in Roxbury's Tax Records as a Roxbury resident. This suggests that he moved to Roxbury to begin his apprenticeship sometime in 1791-92, at the age of 14. After completing his apprenticeship, he stayed in Roxbury for one year before returning to New Bedford in 1799. Here, he advertised in October of that year that "Stephen Taber, (Late apprentice to Mr. Aaron Willard, Clock-Maker in Boston) Respectfully informs the public That he carries on the Clock Making Business... at his shop in Union Street..." From this time until his death in 1862, it appears he lived and worked primarily in New Bedford. He is also listed as working in Acushnet for a short time. Over the latter part of his life, the extent of his clockmaking trickled off as the years passed. This is assumed because he was more commonly listed as a merchant or trader by 1810. He was known to be an investor in the whaling ship industry. By 1860, his personal estate was valued at over $100,000. At the time of his death in 1862, his wealth had almost doubled.
In 1824, Stephen married Elizabeth Sprague Pitcher in Fairhaven, Massachusetts. They first lived in a house on the Acushnet River in Acushnet. In 1838, they bought a home on County Street in New Bedford, near the courthouse. Elizabeth was also an active investor in the railroads. After Stephen died in 1862, their combined estate was worth more than $200,000. In 1871, Elizabeth became a philanthropist. Wanting to make a difference, she moved back to Marion, her hometown, and began to help revive it. She funded the library, a music hall, the First Congregational Church Chapel, and Tabor Academy. The school opened in 1877, and she continued to support and guide it until her death in 1888.
