Scope and Contents
This material consists primarily of printed advertisements, illustrated catalogues, scattered correspondence on letterhead stationery, bills/receipts, order forms, premiums, price lists, calendars, almanacs, patents and trademarks, from manufacturers, importers and dealers of instruments for measuring time. Most of the devices are watches and clocks but it also includes chronometers, regulators, and analemmas. There are a number of items from the 1893 Columbia World's Fair. The bulk of the material is late nineteenth century.
The different types of clocks includes banjo, grandfather, grandmother, electric regulator, alarm, hall, traveling, tower, window, mantel, swinging and cuckoo clocks. Unusual clocks were the Strasburgh and Engle clock. The clocks are made of various materials including brass, wood, nickel, polished veneer, ebonized cased, bronze and copper. The earliest manufactured clock included in this material is a clock-lamp made by J, Walker in 1731. This clock was said to display the hours of the night making it useful as a clock and a candle. The clocks were manufactured to be used in railroad stations, banks, schools, factories, ships, dwellings, churches, offices, the home and stores.
There is some material from companies that cleaned and repaired timing devices. A number of companies just sold materials for manufacturing watches including faces, bells, bobscrews, dials, hands, keyes, rods, springs, tablets, verges, washers, sashes, and Other companies sold tools for watch manufacturers including lathes, benches for lathes, chucks, Accessories were also sold including chains, fobs and cases.
The companies tended to sell other products such as diamonds, cameos, jewelry, music boxes, Japan ware, cutlery, Silverware, spectacles, eye and opera glasses, pencil cases
Catalogues often included historical information on watch makers particularly pioneers in the field, factories, how clocks are manufacture red and marketing strategies.
Publications on topics such as "Timetaking and timekeeping an illustrated booklet published in the interest of correcting the erroneous ideas prevalent in regard to the correct maintenance of standard time.
Materials are organized alphabetically by name of company. There are some folders of material arranged by type including general images, timetables, patents, journals, pamphlets, books and articles.
