AFA Summer 2021

Summer 56 www.afamag.com | w ww.incollect.com In 1852, Alvin Leonard Jewell (1821-1867) founded the firm of A. L. Jewell, a metal-working business in Waltham listing weathervanes among the wares. Jewell and the Howards were among the first generation of commercial weathervane manufacturers in Massachusetts. Jewell’s innovative designs were copied by later manufacturers, though the occasional use of a die-stamp of his name and the copious line-cuts in print ads, illustrated price lists, broadsides, and trade cards he published help distinguish examples from his shop; he was also the first manufacturer to have his vanes photographed. Jewell continually added new designs to his line, which ultimately encompassed eighty different models. Jewell featured the powerful eagle form, shown here, which he made in two sizes, on his billhead and stationery as well as in his advertisements and broadsides. A distinguishing feature of Jewell’s vanes is the wide-open eyes on his cast heads, which are inscribed ovals that surround large convex pupils. Fig. 7: Eagle, A. L. Jewell & Co., Waltham, Massachusetts, ca. 1860. Molded copper and cast zinc, 31 x 42 x 19 in. Collection of Barbara and John Wilkerson Photograph by Don Roman.