Skip to Content

Lighthouse Clock

A work made of white pine, mahogany veneer, enamel, brass, and gilt and silver mounts.
CC0 Public Domain Designation

Image actions

  • A work made of white pine, mahogany veneer, enamel, brass, and gilt and silver mounts.

Date:

1825–30

Artist:

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

About this artwork

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

Extended information about this artwork

Object information is a work in progress and may be updated as new research findings emerge. To help improve this record, please email . Information about image downloads and licensing is available here.

Share

Sign up for our enewsletter to receive updates.

Learn more

Image actions

Share