Thomas Harland of Norwich, Connecticut. A fine Chippendale cherry-cased tall clock of diminutive stature. DDD-14.
This case is of a distinctive type found housing many of Thomas Harland's clocks. Currently, we know of two cabinetmakers who provided clock cases to Harland. They are Abishai Woodward of Preston and Felix Huntington of Norwich. One day, we may definitively know who made this distinctive case form.
This fine cherry case example is the most diminutive of the 17 Harland examples known to us. This case stands 85.5 inches tall to the top of the center finial. It also retains an older historic finish.
An applied bracket base elevates this cabinet off the floor. The feet are scrolled out of the lower section of a double-stepped molding. Rectangular-shaped wooden pads are mounted to the bottom and become an integral element of the feet. The base panels are oriented in a horizontal format. Positioned below the lower waist molding is an applied scalloped molding. This is an interesting architectural detail used by case makers who worked in regions that included Norwich, up through the Connecticut River Valley, and into Vermont, and Central Massachusetts. This molding has the appearance of hanging over the top of the base. The lower waist molding is unusual in that the shaping is greatly exaggerated. The waist section of the case features fluted quarter columns that terminate in turned wooden quarter capitals. The inclusion of quarter columns is seldom seen in other Norwich area-made cases. The waist centers a large tombstone-shaped waist door. This door is finished with a simple molded edge. The door provides access to the pendulum and weights inside the case. The hood rests on the upper waist molding. Fully turned and fluted hood columns terminate in simple wooden capitals. These flank the arched hood door and visually support the upper arched molding. A whale's-tails fret pattern and three fluted chimneys decorated the top of the case. Each of the chimneys supports a wonderfully turned ball-and-spike wooden finial. The hood sides are fitted with tombstone-shaped side lights that are glazed.
The dial of this clock is representative of the types of dials that Harland made famous in Eastern Connecticut. It is composed of a single sheet of flat hammered brass. The front surface is decorated with skillful and artful engravings. The engravings are filled with wax or shellac, and the dial surface is silvered. The silver compound adheres to the brass surfaces. The engravings pop due to the paraffin that fills them. Traditionally, black paraffin is used. This example also has some of its engravings filled with red wax. Specifically the areas that include the Maker's name and working location. This is a very successful detail that is seen on a small number of other Harland-signed dials. The engraved chapter ring features Arabic-style five-minute markers separated from the Roman-style hour numerals by a segmented minute ring. The spandrel designs include a pole, rococo swags, and florals. Some of these themes are repeated in the center section of the dial. Also located here is the subsidiary seconds dial and oversized calendar aperture in the center. This dial is signed in the lunette in large script lettering. The signature reads, "Thos. Harland - Norwich." The hands are finely cut from steel and have been blued. They stand out against the silver background to display the time.
This fine movement is constructed in brass and is of good quality. Four distinctively shaped turned pillars, "Cigar-shaped," support the two large brass plates. These four posts are associated with the Harland School of Clockmaking. Hardened steel shafts support the polished steel pinions and brass gearing. The winding drums are grooved. The escapement is designed in a recoil format. The movement is weight-driven and designed to run for eight days. It is a two-train or a time-and-strike design having a rack-and-snail striking system. As a result, it will strike each hour on the hour. This is done on a cast iron bell mounted above the movement. It is of excellent quality.
This clock was made circa 1780. The case is 7 feet 1.5 inches or 85.5 inches tall to the top of the center finial. It is 19 inches wide and 10 inches deep.
Inventory number DDD-14.
Thomas Harland was an accomplished and influential clockmaker. He was responsible for training many clockmakers. Some of which became famous makers in their own right. He was the Simon Willard of Connecticut.
Thomas Harland was born in England in 1735. He emigrated to this country in 1773 through Boston on one of the infamous tea ships that later participated in Boston's Tea Party. He came to this country as a trained clockmaker and soon established a clock shop in Norwich. On December 9th of 1773, he advertised in the Norwich Packet: \"Thomas Harland, Watch and Clock-maker from London, Begs leave to acquaint the public that he has opened a shop near the store of Christopher Leffingwell, in Norwich where he makes in the neatest manner and on the most approved principles, horizontal, repeating and plain watches in gold, silver, metal or covered cases. Spring, musical and plain clocks; church clocks, regulators etc. He also cleans and repairs watches and clocks with the greatest care and dispatch, and upon reasonable terms. N.B. clock faces engraved and finished for the trade. Watch wheels and fuzees of all sorts and dimensions, cut and finished upon the shortest notice, neat as in London and at the same price.\" In the same year he married Hannah Clark. By 1790 he employed as many as twelve apprentices turning out an annual production of 40 clocks and 200 watches. Some of his more notable apprentices included the clockmakers Nathaniel Shipman, David Greenleaf, Gurdon Tracy, Jedediah Baldwin, William Cleveland, Daniel Burnap, Eli Terry, Seril & Ezra Dodge, Benjamin Hanks and his own son Thomas Jr., (1781-1806) to name just a few. Overall, he worked for thirty-five profitable years in America as a clockmaker, watchmaker, silversmith and engraver, probably producing more tall case clocks than any other Connecticut maker. He died at the age of 72 on March 31st, 1807. He is given credit as to making the first watch manufactured in this country.
Clocks that are known can be found in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, in the collection of the U. S. Department of State, in the collection of the Slater Memorial Museum in Norwich, Connecticut, in the collection of Wadsworth Atheneum, in the collection of The American Museum, Bath UK. Their are numerous examples pictured in various publications.
