Illus. 344.—Gawen
Brown Clock, 1765.
This handsome offer was made in 1768 but not until 1774 did the town act, when they voted to “purchase the Clock of Gawen Brown.”
Illus. 345.—Tall
Clock, 1780.
A Gawen Brown clock is shown in Illustration [344], made for his father-in-law, the Rev. Mather Byles. The case is pine painted and the shape of the top and the general appearance would indicate that it was an early effort made before 1768. It is still running in the rooms of the Bostonian Society, in the Old State House in Boston.
The clock in Illustration [345] was made by Gawen Brown, and is in a very handsome mahogany case. It is also owned by the Bostonian Society.
Illustration [346] shows a clock owned by the writer, and is given as an example of the use of curly maple, of which the entire case is made. It is unusually tall, over eight feet in height.
The clock in Illustration [347] was made by David Rittenhouse, in Philadelphia, and is owned by Charles D. Clark, Esq., of Philadelphia. David Rittenhouse was a maker of clocks and mathematical instruments, and an astronomer. He held various positions of importance, and was State Treasurer of Pennsylvania during the Revolutionary war, and President of The American Philosophical Society. This clock has a very handsome case of mahogany with fine inlaying, and possesses seven dials. The large dial has three hands, two for the hours and minutes, and the third to point the day of the month. This is set on the first day of each month. At the two upper corners are two small dials, one of which is set to designate which of the twelve tunes shall be played, and the other has on it “strike” and “silent,” also for the tunes. Above, the moon shows its phases and the sun rises and sets every day. Upon the round dial below, the planets revolve around the sun.
