Elmer Stennes. Reproduction Wall Timepiece, Girandole. This example was made in 1968. 218074.
A reproduction Wall Timepiece originally created by Lemuel Curtis of Concord, Massachusetts. Elmer Stennes of East Weymouth, Massachusetts, made this successful recreation of the Girandole.
Lemuel Curtis was a very talented apprentice of the Willard family. His apprenticeship started in 1802. In 1811, he moved from Boston to Concord and set up shop there as a Clockmaker. Here, he specialized in the production of finely made timepieces. Over the years, he made several improvements to Simon Willard's original timepiece design. An example of one such improvement is the single screw movement mounting system. The Curtis design used a screw to mount the movement to the case from the back of the backboard. This screw securely held the works and put the thread pressure on the backplate. Willard's design used two screws that were diagonally positioned on the plates and screwed into the wood of the backboard from the front of the movement. The threading of the wood in the backboard tends to fail over time because the thread pressure is in the wood rather than on the metal. As a result, most of the clocks mounted this way have had the original screws replaced. Lemuel's ultimate achievement would have to be the Girandole form's design, often called America's most beautiful clock. However, this model was not a financial success. As a result, a small number were originally produced. Most of which are in the collections of our country's best museums. Two fine examples are currently on display at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston.
Many reproductions of this original form have been made. The Waltham Clock Company made approximately 25 examples in the 1920s. Since the 1960s, individuals like Elmer Stennes, Ted Burleigh, and Foster Campos have produced a limited number of faithful copies. The clock described below is a very good example of one of the clocks.
This mahogany-constructed case is in excellent original condition. The dark wood contrasts with the gilded frames and is striking. The case measures approximately 45 inches in length. The lower presentation bracket is wonderfully carved from wood and is a traditional form. The lower door frame is nicely constructed. A large cove molding is central to the design. In the center of this are 28 turned wooden decorative balls. This theme is again repeated at the top of this molding with a beaded ring. The throat frame is decorated with a rope carving that runs the vertical length of this frame on all four sides. These applied moldings terminate in corner blocks. One may notice that this fame is bowed in the middle. This is constructed in this manner to complement the circular lower and upper door and the shaping of the glass. The bezel is brass. Positioned here are an additional 25 smaller brass decorative balls. This bezel is also fitted with glass that is designed to protect the dial. The forward-facing eagle finial is carved from wood and is wonderfully executed. Its wings are outstretched, and the bird is standing on a traditionally shaped plinth. The reverse serpentine sidearms are well-formed and made of brass. (The sidearms are the decorations fitted to the case's sides.) The shape of these is a traditional girandole form and is very attractive.
The two gilt-decorated frames are fitted with reverse-painted tablets. The egloimse' convex panels are done in very good colors over a blue/green background or field. The throat panel features an intricate theme that is traditionally formed. It is also signed “PATENT” in the banner located in the lower section of this glass. The lower circular tablet depicts the scene of “AURORA” and is so titled. She is depicted standing in her chariot that is being pulled across the sky by her two winged houses. This represents the passing of the sun across the sky. A small section of the center of this scene is left open to view the pendulum's motion. It will flash the reflected light as it passes across the opening. It is worth noting that not all Stennes painted glasses share the same level of artistic skill. These tablets are done to a higher level of skill and feature more brilliant colors than most.
The brass bezel opens to access the painted dial. It features the traditional fancy Concord format. Some of the decorative features included a scalloped border around the dial's perimeter, a closed minute ring, a gold ring inside the time track, and a daisy petal design radiating from the center and winding holes. The center of the dial is signed with the Maker’s signature and his working location in script lettering. It reads, “Elmer O. Stennes / WEYMOUTH, MASS.” Below the 6:12 position on the closed time ring, a small bee is painted on this dial. The hands are a traditional Curtis form, having concentric circles and barbed pointers. Who doesn’t like fancy hands?
The movement is weight-powered. It is a time-only design and is constructed in brass. It is designed to run for eight days on a full wind. The front plate is die stamped ”E. O. STENNES / WEYMOUTH /MASS.” The two brass plates that frame the movement are supported with four posts. The escapement is a recoil format. Overall, it is good quality.
This decorative clock has a great presence. It is fitting for a formal space.
This clock is approximately 45 inches long, 12 inches wide and 5.5 deep.
Inventory number 218074.
Elmer Osbourne Stennes was born in Somerville, Massachusetts, on June 9, 1911. After high school, he attended the Wentworth Institute in Boston during the 1933 - 1934 school year. From Wentworth, Stennes received a certificate stating he had completed a special course in carpentry and architectural drawing. This document is signed by the Principal, Frederick E. Dobbs. During WW-II, Stennes worked as a cabinetmaker/patternmaker and ship model builder at Forge River in the Quincy, Massachusetts shipyards. After the war, Stennes, a skilled woodworker, became interested in making clocks; by the late 1940s, he was at it full-time. His business evolved. He built the cases for the clocks he sold. These were always of very good quality and nicely finished. Stennes' cases were copies of popular clocks made in the early 1800s by well-known clockmakers, including the Willards, Lemuel Curtis, Joshua Wilder, Rueben Tower, and Abel Hutchins. Stennes was not a clockmaker. As a result, he sourced many of the movements and components from whole used clocks he purchased. At the time, the more common E. Howard products like the model numbers 5 and 70 were inexpensive. He would buy clocks like these for the components and discard their cases. He also used various spare movements that he could buy through the trade. In the early days, the tablets were painted by Edwin Burt of Auburndale. He had an Assistant hired under the G I Bill named Clinton Bates. Stennes signed the dials of the clocks he made with his name and marketed them as his own. Stennes sold many clocks at retail outlets like Shreve, Crump & Low in Boston and through the network he developed in the National Association of Clock and Watch Collectors (N.A.W.C.C.). He was an active member, and the numerous meetings and marts were, at the time, busy places of trade. His reputation grew as his clocks were attractive, available, and reasonably priced.
Many of the forms that Stennes copied were of clocks that were difficult to come by and often very expensive when they did turn up in the marketplace. One example of this is his copy of Lemuel Curtis's girandole clock. Of course, his business model evolved over the years. He made a wide variety of forms, including the Willard-style timepiece or banjo clock, one of his best sellers. His copies of Lemuel Curtis's Girandole also sold well and are still very popular today. Later, he expanded his catalog and made several shelf clock forms and versions of the tall case clock or grandfather clock, including the grandmother's version and an in-between size he called the Wessagusset. The Wessagusset model was named after the Native American name for the Weymouth shore. In addition to clocks, Stennes made a small amount of furniture. As clock collecting grew in popularity, companies were formed to supply the needs of the hobby. Soon, the movement and component manufacturers began to supply the trade. Stennes began to patronize their stores for parts.
By 1959, Stennes had built a barn on his property to set up his workshop. He told people his shop was located at No., 1 Tic Tock Lane. I remember visiting there as a young boy.
Elmer Stennes may be better known today for his actions on December 2, 1968. After an argument with his second wife, Eva, Elmer shot her in the head with his pistol in the kitchen of their home. Stennes called the Weymouth police and told them what he had done. He was arrested in his home and later released on $25,000 bond. While free on bond, Stennes continued to make clocks. He signed the clocks made during this period with the initials "O.O.B." This was to signify that the clock was made while he was out on bond. During his trial, Stennes pleaded not guilty to murder but admitted guilt to manslaughter. He was sentenced to eight to ten years in prison for this crime. This was to be served at the Massachusetts Correctional Institute at Plymouth (M.C.I.P.) He was incarcerated at M.C.I.P. in October of 1969. Stennes was well-connected politically. Soon, he was put in charge of the woodworking shop at the prison. Foster Compos, Stennes's full-time employee, once told me that he would visit him on weekends and pick up the cases that were made at the prison that week. Foster would then assemble them in the Weymouth shop and then sell them. The clocks made during this period were marked M.C. I. P. In less than four years, Stennes was paroled on January 12, 1973. In December of that year, he married Phyllis Means on the 15th. Almost two years later, on October 4, 1975, the couple was shot multiple times while they were sleeping in their bedroom. Two men broke into their house. Elmer was shot five times and killed. Phyllis was shot seven times and survived by rolling off the bed and playing dead on the floor. Phyllis later accused her 24-year-old stepson Elliot of being one of the shooters. She had retold the story to people I knew that she recognized his voice when he said, "This is for my mom." While in court, Elliot had five witnesses testify that they were together in a bar in Franconia, New Hampshire, at the time of the shooting. As a result, the charges against him were dropped. This case has never been solved.
I would like to thank David Howard for helping this Elmer Stennes biography.
