Types of Clocks
The Types We Preserve
The companies manufactured so many different types of clocks and so many variations of each that it is too numerous to mention. However, here are a few of the varieties that existed during this time and that you might run across on our site:
Pillar and Scroll
Column and Splat
Banjo
Tambour
Shelf
Beehive
Steeple
Ogee
Double Candlestick
Cottage
Venetian
Gingerbread
Octagon Drop-dial
Regulator
Black Mantel Clocks
From the 1850s to the 1920s, Black Mantel clocks were a staple of clock production. Edward Ingraham invented the black enamel paint used to design these clocks. The clock dial was centered on the face and usually had two key winding openings—one for the time and the other for striking the hour. the major American clock companies turned out mantel clocks by the tens of thousands for the domestic market as well as for export to numerous countries around the world.
Stylistically, many Black Mantels had one or more celluloid or metal columns on both sides of the dial. The top of the case was either flat or curved. Many of these clocks stood on cast pot metal feet that were coated with brass-colored finish. Frequently these clocks also had painted gilt filigree decoration on the front of the case. There are literally hundreds of variations on the black mantel clock as produced by the major American clock companies.
You might find sellers selling a mantle clock but this is incorrect. It is a Mantel clock. This is due to the fact that these clocks usually sat on the mantel above the fireplace. Make sure you include mantle in your search, though, because some sellers spell it wrong.
Cottage Clocks
Cottage clocks are less than 15 inches high and typically 8 inches wide are small, simple in design and take up very little space. Many have basic alarm mechanisms.
Kitchen or Gingerbread Clocks
Antique Oak Gingerbread Kitchen Shelf clock were named for their visual similarity to gingerbread houses. These clocks with Victorian designs were popular in the late 19th and early 20th century due to the affordability allowed by mass production. Although they may be thought of as hand carved, these clocks were made with quick-saws and heavy steel presses to press-in the designs into the wooden cases. They were also known as kitchen clocks because owners typically kept them in the kitchen due to their easy placement on a shelf (they typically were never hung) and they came with a second alarm mechanism – which, at the time was an innovation. They were made of oak or walnut, with a metal clock-face. The glass was reverse-painted in gold and silver.
Ogee Clocks
Some 180 years ago the first shelf clocks were Ogee (OG) clocks. These were the first mass-produced American clocks, were inexpensive, and were made up to about the late 1870s. They represented the early years of American clock-making and the transition from more expensively produced wood movements to cheaper brass movement clocks. OG clocks are so named because of the double-curved molding on the front of the clock. The curved molding was designed to hide the weights. Many of these clocks were weight driven with 30-hour or 8-day movements and had mirrored or painted tablets. Ogee clocks were usually 25 inches in height and 15 inches wide and had hardwood veneers covering a softwood frame. They were surprisingly accurate and reliable.
Steeple Clocks
Around 1840, Steeple clocks were introduced. They had a peaked center section bordered by columns topped with finials and a peaked sash with a decorated (often hand-painted) lower tablet. They were spring driven with 8-day movements. Steeple clocks are very distinctive, stood about 15 inches high with veneered hardwood over softwood, often with reverse-painted scenes and made by a number of well-known companies.
Tambour Clocks
Tambour clocks are enclosed in an upright drum-shaped case with an extended base. They also call them Napoleon hat clocks or Hump-back clocks.