Lighthouse Clock

1825–30

Simon Willard and Sons
American, 1753–1848
Roxbury, Massachusetts

In 1819 Simon Willard applied for and received a patent for the first American alarm clock. He intended for the clocks to be portable so that one could use them around the house or while traveling. Patented by Willard under the name “alarm timepiece,” clocks like this one are now referred to as lighthouse clocks for their marked similarity to the Eddystone lighthouse in the English Channel off Plymouth, England. This particular clock descended in the family of Simon Willard’s brother Aaron.

Status: On View, Gallery 172
Department: Arts of the Americas

Artist: Simon Willard and Sons
Title: Lighthouse Clock
Place: Roxbury (Object made in)
Date Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.: c. 1825–1830
Medium: White pine, mahogany veneer, enamel, brass, and gilt and silver mounts
Dimensions: 74.9 × 26 cm (29 1/2 × 10 1/4 in.)
Credit Line: Gift of the Antiquarian Society
Reference Number: 1997.451
IIIF Manifest The International Image Interoperability Framework (IIIF) represents a set of open standards that enables rich access to digital media from libraries, archives, museums, and other cultural institutions around the world. Learn more.: https://api.artic.edu/api/v1/artworks/148047/manifest.json

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Date Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.

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IIIF Manifest The International Image Interoperability Framework (IIIF) represents a set of open standards that enables rich access to digital media from libraries, archives, museums, and other cultural institutions around the world. Learn more.

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IIIF Manifest The International Image Interoperability Framework (IIIF) represents a set of open standards that enables rich access to digital media from libraries, archives, museums, and other cultural institutions around the world.

Learn more.