Robert Wood and Jacob Taylor of New York City and Florida, New York, Cabinetmakers.

Robert Wood, James S., and Jacob S. Taylor were cabinetmakers who first worked independently in New York City from 1808 to 1810. In 1810, they both fled the city during a smallpox epidemic. It is recorded that in 1810, they settled in the small village of Florida, New York, in Orange County, for a short time. The New York City directories list Robert Wood as a registered cabinetmaker working in New York from 1808 to 1818. A James Taylor is also listed in the city in 1802-1804 and again in 1812-1819. The 1820 census lists Wood as returning to New York City, and Taylor as working in Goshen, NY. The village of Goshen is located 5 miles from Florida. We now know of a small number of these clock cases that can be attributed to these cabinetmakers. Interestingly, a fair number of these cases are fitted with movements that feature a short pendulum and are attributed to the Newburgh, New York area.

The Wood & Taylor form features narrow proportions and is coupled with the design format and layout of the numerous inlay patterns. The style is typical of Hepplewhite tall clocks made in New York or, more properly, New York City and northern New Jersey. The form is characterized by high-pitched, elevated, and very graceful or narrow swan-neck pediments, narrow waists, and is usually fitted with French-style feet. All of these cases seem to have used heavily figured woods, and many are elaborately inlaid to suit various tastes or budgets. The inlay patterns can be executed with simple highlighting of the various veneered forms, or added to the overall complexity of the decoration through complex stringing, a variety of panels, shells, stars, pinwheels, and urns. The wood used often included satinwood, ebony, rosewood, boxwood, mahogany, and dyed wood samples. Today, there are at least a dozen examples known that share very similar characteristics. These are all grounded by a clock that the New York Museum now owns. Their example retains a handwritten label by the Wood & Taylor firm while working in Florida and New York. Since that clock's discovery, two other examples with labels have been reported. These three labeled examples all share very similar inlaid decorations, including their signature star-decorated tympana.