About This Artwork

Alvin L. Jewell (d. 1867)
A. L. Jewell & Company (1852-67)
Waltham, Massachusetts

Running Horse Weathervane, c. 1860

Copper, lead and/or zinc, and gilding
43.2 x 69.2 cm (17 x 27 1/4 in.)
Stamped on left shoulder: A. L. Jewell, Waltham, Mass.
Restricted gift of Charles C. Haffner III, 2006.256

American Art
Gallery 227

Before the advent of modern mechanized devices, weathervanes were an important source of information on shifting weather conditions. The horse shape was common; in fact, weathervanes often memorialized famous racehorses. The elegant simplicity of this example is characteristic of the works of Alvin L. Jewell, one of the most important 19th-century weathervane designers. At his metal manufacturing firm, A. L. Jewell and Company, Jewell invented a molding process so that he could mass-produce his handcrafted work. In this example, Jewell made the head of a solid, heavier metal, so the weathervane would balance properly and point toward the wind’s source. Jewell’s innovative manufacturing and advertising methods helped to change the growing American weathervane industry.