Prince model
Object NameClock
Manufacturer
William L. Gilbert Clock Co.
(American (Winsted, CT), 1871 - 1960)
Datec. 1880-1890
OriginUSA
MediumWalnut, glass, brass
Dimensions19 1/2 × 11 × 12 1/2 in. (49.5 × 27.9 × 31.8 cm)
ClassificationsDecorative Arts, Natural Substances
Credit LineGift of A. Lee Smith. In the Farm House Museum Collection, Farm House Museum, University Museums, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa.
Object number86.23.1a-c
Status
On viewCollections
CultureAmerican
Label TextFrom the University Museums Collections Handbook, vol. 2, 2025:
William L. Gilbert was one of the foremost clock makers in Connecticut in the 19th century. Gilbert founded his first company in 1828 and continued with different partnerships until 1871 when he established the William L. Gilbert Clock Company Gilbert designed inexpensive timepieces designed for the masses and followed aesthetic trends in design. The firm’s offerings included over 300 varieties of wall and mantel clocks. William L. Gilbert died in 1890, but the company retained his name and continued operations. By the 1960s, a century after its founding, the Gilbert Clock Co. finally wound down.
The walnut case of this 1880s eight-day Prince model shelf clock is decorated with shaped moldings, applied carvings, geometrically stenciled glass, and an overall Eastlake design aesthetic popular in the late Victorian Era. The clockmaker’s paper label remains on the backboard.
StyleEastlake
Locations
- (not entered) Iowa State University, Farm House Museum
Object Name: Pocket Watch
Gruen Watch Company
c. 1900
Object number: 99.4.1
