Horace Tift Timepiece from North Attleboro, Massachusetts. 29118.
This is an excellent example of a wall timepiece made in North Attleboro, Massachusetts, by Horace Tift.
This fine clock exhibits many design elements that are now associated with the clockmaking output from this New England town. The case is mahogany and retains an older finish. The mahogany frames are canted. The lower door is secured with a hook. The acorn-shaped finial and finial plinth are all Attleboro features. The bezel and side arms are brass. Traditionally, Attleboro clock tablets are decorated in black and gold paint and have a commercial appearance. This is a dressier model in that these tablets are painted in color and are original to this clock. The brass movement is weight-driven and is designed to run for eight days on a full wind. The movement is mounted to the back of the case with two screws through the back plate. The cast iron weight is die stamped “H T.” The “H T” stands for Horace Tift.
This clock measures approximately 34 inches long to the top of the turned wooden finial.
Inventory number 29188.
Horace Tift was born in Attleboro on December 18, 1804. His parents were Samuel and Nancy (Woodcock) Tift. He lived for 84 years and died in Providence, Rhode Island, on March 11, 1886. He was trained as a machinist in Millbury, MA, and later worked as a journeyman with Joseph Wyman in Dunstable, MA. In 1837, he and his wife, Orinda Blackington of Attleboro, moved back to Attleboro and set up shop. His clocks traditionally featured black and gold decorated glasses in canted frames, turned wooden bezels, and carved side arms. He sold a quality product at modest prices and established trade routes through the local jewelry businesses in New York and Philadelphia. He stopped making clocks in 1850 when he began manufacturing jewelry full-time. Tift maintained an office at 192 Broadway in NYC until 1862. The town of Attleboro became world-renowned for jewelry production.
