Today in Technology History
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February 8
Most people prefer attractive objects in their homes, even when it comes to technology: we like to make our tools and devices aesthetically appealing, so long as we don't detract from their usefulness. You can buy VCRs and TVs with sleek, rounded corners. Microwaves come in many different colors. There are countless styles of lamps and telephones. Even drills and table saws can look graceful nowadays.
These products are mass-produced with modern materials, and molded to be exactly identical to thousands of others.
But before the Industrial Revolution, if you wanted beautiful items in your home, you needed to hire a craftsman or artisan to make them by hand.
In homes of the eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, no piece of mechanical technology was more advanced than the clock. The functional workings of the clock had been all but perfected, and the clockmakers of that era began to produce clocks of exquisite beauty.
One of the most renowned of American clockmakers was Simon Willard (1753-1848) of Massachusetts. Exactly 200 years ago, on February 8, 1802, Willard received a patent for an "improved timepiece." His design sparingly used the metal parts that were then scarce. His clock was small enough to hang on a wall or pillar. It had a round face at the top, and a wooden case that tapered to accommodate the pendulum. The woodworking and painting on the clock could be simple or ornate.
Willard's design became known as a "banjo clock," because its shape suggested that musical instrument. The design was widely imitated, especially after Willard's patent expired. Today, an authentic Willard banjo clock is an antique of enormous value.
Related links:
Click here to read more about banjo clocks.
Use this link for the homepage of the "Willard House and Clock Museum," which celebrates the work of the entire Willard family of clockmakers.
This page has a biography of Simon Willard, but it is buried amidst the biographies of other Willards, including a different Simon Willard -- an ancestor of the clockmaker -- who was an early American colonist.
Click here and here to read about a group of watch and clock collectors learned about banjo clocks a few years ago.
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