SAPFM Museum Furniture Collection

Lighthouse Clock

Simon Willard and Sons

Lighthouse Clock, Simon Willard and Sons, 1825–30, White pine, mahogany veneer, enamel, brass, and gilt and silver mounts
Maker
Simon Willard and Sons
Date
1825–30
Medium
White pine, mahogany veneer, enamel, brass, and gilt and silver mounts
Dimensions
74.9 × 26 cm (29 1/2 × 10 1/4 in.)
Form
Clock
Origin
Roxbury
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession
1997.451
Credit line
Gift of the Antiquarian Society
In 1819 Simon Willard applied for and received a patent for the first American alarm clock. He intended for the clocks to be portable so that one could use them around the house or while traveling. Patented by Willard under the name "alarm timepiece," clocks like this one are now referred to as lighthouse clocks for their marked similarity to the Eddystone lighthouse in the English Channel.
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