Thursday, March 18, 2010

Seth Thomas Clocks

Seth Thomas Clocks

Seth Thomas (1785-1859) began his clockmaking career in 1807 as an apprentice to renowned clockmaker Eli Terry. In 1810, he bought Terry’s Connecticut factory and began building wall clocks with wooden movements.

Thomas added wooden-movement shelf and mantel clocks in 1817. The first of these had pillar-and-scroll belongings typically with a scene highlighted on the underside third of the case below the clock’s face. here 1830, very old Seth Thomas mantel clocks were repeatedly framed in imprinted mahogany...
Brass movements replaced woodens ones in 1842 (wood was phased out lock, stock and barrel in 1845), which was also the first year that Thomas made mantel clocks with ogee cases—the style was shaped until 1913.

However a modernizer when it came to fabrication techniques and sphere Thomas was to be more precise conventional when it came to the facade of his clocks. So, after his death in 1859, Thomas' sons were quick to lead into new clock styles—from large wall clocks to regulators to spring-driven clocks to clocks with calendars.

Of the antique clocks, the Seth Thomas antique wall clocks for kitchens were exceptionally admired. One early double-dial calendar clock made after the founders’ death had a rosewood-veneer case that came to points at the top and foot to earn itself the moniker of "Peanut." Walnut kitchen clocks were produced from 1884 to 1909.

One of the toughest competitors for U.S. clockmakers in the last half of the 19th century were the French, whose clocks cased in onyx and marble were all the rage. In response U. S. manufacturers made clocks that resembled those of the French, with the exception of instead of marble they made their cases from inexpensive iron or wood.

Thomas responded to the French competition with its own line of marble clocks (1887 to 1895) and iron clocks done in black enamel (1892 to 1895). But the Thomas rejoinder that is best known today was its Adamantine black mantel clock which debuted in 1892.

Adamantine was a veneer first manufactured by the Celluloid Manufacturing Company—Thomas licensed the product as it could be twisted in black, white and a range of patterns to replicate the look of wood, onyx, and, most prominently marble. The Seth Thomas Adamantine mantel clocks were accepted an adequate amount of to keep on in assembly until 1917.

In the 20th century, Thomas introduced its first tambour clock in 1904. The low, wide profile of these mantel clocks made them faultless above fireplaces. Chime clocks followed in 1909, and alarm clocks were added to the company’s index in 1928.

Of the pre-war, 1930s Thomas clocks, the Art Deco alarm clocks (wind up or emotional made of a transparent material called Catalin are highly collectible. distinct Bakelite, which was difficult due to its fillers of sawdust or carbon, Catalin is clear which made it easy to mix with dyes to be the source of rich insignia It could even be marbleized, which, for Thomas, recalled the company’s Adamantine clocks formed just a few decades before