AFA 20th Anniversary

2020 Antiques & Fine Art 145 Tall clock. Clockwork mechanism attributed to Rufus Porter (1792–1884), unidentified clockmaker and cabinetmaker, Billerica, Mass., ca. 1834. Dial Inscribed “Rufus Porter / Billerica.” Cherry, metal works, enameled dial, 85 x 18 x 10 in. Private collection. Image courtesy of Skinner’s Auctions. Porter played a part in the transformation of America from an agrarian to an industrial society. Railroad schedules and shifts for factory workers required the regulation of time, and Porter embraced the challenge of these new needs, experimenting with ways to perfect timekeeping. From 1833 to 1837, Rufus King Porter (1820– 1903), his son, apprenticed to a clockmaker in Bristol, Connecticut, while Porter “devoted” all his “leisure time” to perfecting his own clock designs. Among this clock’s innovations are brass plates and hardware for securing the wheels. Not long after the clock was made, Porter abandoned mural and miniature painting to focus on mechanical improvements and inventions.