Lemuel Curtis and Joseph N. Dunning Curtis & Dunning, of Burlington, Vermont.

The partnership of Curtis & Dunning was comprised of Lemuel Curtis and Joseph N. Dunning. It was formed in 1820 in Concord, Massachusetts, and moved to Burlington, Vermont, in 1821. Their shop in Burlington was located at the corner of Church and College Streets in the Thomas Hotel. They worked there in collaboration until 1832. While in Burlington, they worked as clockmakers, silversmiths, and jewelers. Over the last 50-plus years of business, we have bought and sold numerous examples of their work. They produced several timepiece forms, including banjo, tavern, girandole, lyre wall clocks, regulators, and even shelf models.

Lemuel Curtis was born in Roxbury, Massachusetts, on July 3rd, 1790. He was the son of Samuel and Sarah Partridge Curtis, whose sister married Aaron Willard. He died in New York on June 17th, 1857. Lemuel had two brothers who were also involved with clockmaking. He was the nephew of Aaron Willard and probably trained with Simon Willard in Roxbury. In 1811, Lemuel advertised that he was working alone in Concord. Lemuel was a very skilled clockmaker and the inventor of the Girandole form.

Joseph Nye Dunning was born in Brunswick, Maine, on January 2nd, 1795, and died in Burlington, Vermont, on December 14th, 1841. He was first a journeyman working for Curtis in Concord before their partnership in 1820. After this arrangement dissolved in 1832, he continued to work independently and died bankrupt at age 46.

For an in-depth description of their clockmaking activity, please read Paul Foley's book, "Willard's Patent Time Pieces."