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E.O. Goodwin. A Miniature Sleigh Front Shelf Clock. 224058.

E.O. (Edwin Olmstead) Goodwin was born in East Hartford in 1819. He began his clock career as a traveling peddler in the 1840s. In 1848, he married Harriet (Brown) Pomery, widow of clockmaker Noah Pomeroy and sister of J.C. Brown. In 1855, he began making cases in a shop on High Street. He purchased movements from Brewster Ingrahams. His best-known clock is this miniature sleigh front. This is an attractive model. Goodwin stopped making clocks in 1857 and moved to Brooklyn, New York, where he died in 1882.

This miniature case measures 20.5 inches tall. The standard example can be a full 12 inches taller. The case is decorated in mahogany veneers. The modern finish accentuates the grain patterns. The turned half columns mounted on the sides of the case are smoke-decorated. The capitals are finished in gilt. They are standing on a "sleigh" molding. The columns visually support the cornice molding. This is nicely shaped. Between the columns are two access doors that feature three glass panels, all of which are in excellent original condition. All three are paint-decorated. The bottom panel features a view of New York's Crystal Palace. This building was built for the 1853 Exhibition. The building was destroyed by fire in 1858. The iron and glass dome was 100 feet in diameter and supported a cupola and a large American Flag. The middle panel is titled "MT CARMEL, HAMDEN, CONN." Mount Carmel is a neighborhood in the town of Hamden. The town's founders named the area due to the resemblance of a range of hills mentioned in the Bible. Depicted in the view are a large water fountain, several buildings, and the mountain in the back. The upper glass features a pattern that resembles the spandrel decorations on tall clock dials. This pattern frames the dial behind the glass.

The painted dial is decorated with a closed minute ring measuring 5 inches in diameter. The hours are a Roman form. The Clockmaker's name is signed in script. It reads, "E. O. Goodwin / Bristol, Ct." Spade-shaped hands depict the time.

Behind the dial is a spring-powered, brass-constructed, eight-day movement. It is wound with a key and strikes on a wire gong mounted inside the case each hour. This movement was made by the Brewster & Ingrahams firm in Bristol, CT., and is die-stamped by this firm on the front plate.

The Clockmaker's label is pasted onto the backboard. This is in excellent condition.

Ht. 20.5 inches, W 12 inches, and 4.75 inches deep. 

This clock has been fully serviced and is in excellent working order.

Inventory number 224058.

For more information about this clock click here.
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