S-Town Clock Exhibit at the National Watch and Clock Museum

Tortoiseshell Hanging Lantern Clock Compendium, France, c 1885. This clock has three dials that indicate time, phases of the moon, and a barometer. It weighs more than 40 pounds!

Normally I’d argue that we had previously visited the American Clock & Watch Museum and we are now set for life on clock and watch museums.

However, the National Watch and Clock Museum in Columbia, Pennsylvania had a special exhibit I wanted to see something fierce: “S-Town Exquisite Clocks.”

S-Town was a 2017 podcast from Serial Productions and This American Life that I absolutely loved. Every episode took radical turns, you just couldn’t see where it was going next. It focused on John B. McLemore, who was an antiquarian horologist, among other things, and I found it totally riveting. (Warning, due to language and content, the podcast is not for everyone.)

Royal Pavilion Skeleton clock, England, c 1860. It’s patterned after the center dome of the Royal Pavilion in Brighton. A skeleton clock is designed to show the inner workings – though that exposure left them susceptible to dust, and thus they were often kept under glass domes.

Sedan Chair Carriage Clock, France, c 1900. This clock arrived to John with no finish left, and he spent about 2.5 months restoring it. There are four finishes (gold, rose gold, silver, blued silver) that had to be applied separately, and while the other colors were masked. John remarked after that he didn’t think he’d have the patience to do it again! Carriage clocks are designed to be mobile.

Merriam Webster defines horology as “the science of measuring time” and “the art of making instruments for indicating time.”

I really like that the definition includes the word “art” because the clocks and watches in the museum and exhibit truly are works of art.

The National Watch and Clock Museum was founded in 1977; their collection includes 12,000 timepieces, about 3,000 of which are on display.

The museum is run by the National Association of Watch & Clock Collectors, which has about 10,000 members.

The man, the legend: John B. McLemore, on his property in Alabama.

Industrial Windmill Mantel Timepiece, France, c 1890.

As I walked through the museum, I took many pictures of all kinds of timepieces. Many were very ornate and beautiful. But, in truth, it was pretty similar to what we’ve already posted about at the American Clock & Watch Museum.

Therefore, I’ve limited all the pictures in this post to the exhibit (though the exhibit was much more than I’m showing here). It’s my own little tribute, if you will, to the amazing craftsmanship, skill, and artistry of John B. McLemore.

The clocks shown were all restored by John, though he did not own them.

Industrial Diver’s Helmet Mantel Timepiece, France, c 1885. It’s modeled after the deep sea diving helmets that were used in the 1870s.

Victorian Bracket Clock, England, c 1850. The case of this clock is made of woods that are prohibited today: Indian coromandel with African ivory inlay. John restored this clock 30 years ago when he was just 24.

John working in his shop, where the magic happened.

I purchased the exhibit book, S-Town Exquisite Clocks (affiliate link) , at the museum, which is something I never do. It’s truly a beautiful book with exquisite photography. I enjoyed reading it and looking at the details in photographs. The notes on the pictures in this post come from the book and the labels in the exhibit.

Detail of the Bracket Clock, England, c 1880.

The six clocks pictured next are Industrial Clocks, which were made to celebrate the Industrial Age; they include themes of transportation, machinery, weapons, architecture, and more. John had a lot of experience with these types of clocks, especially after a 1993 Sotheby’s auction released dozens of these clocks into the marketplace, many making their way to John for repair. The cover photo for this post is Industrial Ship’s Quarterdeck Mantel Clock, France, c 1880. Quoting from the exhibit book, “as the clock runs, the helmsman on the top rocks back and forth steering the ship’s wheel.”

Industrial Bollard Mantel Timepiece, France, c 1900. The clock’s name “bollard” comes from the short post on the front of ships used to moor them with a rope. Note the lovely elaborate champleve enamel, as well as the anchor tie-in to the bollard name.

Industrial Wind Pump Mantel Timepiece, France, c 1900.

Industrial Wallace Fountain Mantel Timepiece, France, c 1890. Sir Richard Wallace donated drinking fountains to the city of Paris at a time when their water supply was compromised. This piece is an homage to those fountains. Note the water cup on a chain dangling on the right.

Industrial Maritime Mantel Timepiece, France, c 1890. The globe has Paris as the meridian point of reference, even though a worldwide Longitudinal conference was held in 1884 and determined the Greenwich Meridian would be the standard. The French didn’t like it, and continued using the Paris Meridian until 1911.

Industrial Double Ship’s wheel Mantel Timepiece, France, c 1890.

Industrial Mantel Bell clock, France, c 1890.

The next three clocks pictured are Empire Bronze Clocks, which are often based on Greek and Roman mythology. The gilt finish is done through a process called fire gilding, which uses mercury and is quite dangerous. John periodically used fire gilding to get his pieces as authentic as possible.

Empire Bronze Urn Mantel Clock, France, c 1815. Note the swan neck handles.

Louis Philippe Sculptural Mantel Clock, France, c 1835. Louis Philippe was the king of France from 1830-1848 and greatly influenced design during his reign; clocks from this period are often highly gilded. It’s got a kitty, so it’s all-right by me!

Empire Bronze Mantel Clock, France, c 1810. It features the Roman god Bacchus. The front leg on the goat was broken when it arrived in John’s shop. He fixed the broken leg, and matched the gilt to the rest of the clock; the repair is seamless.

The next three pictured are Mystery clocks, which are intended to function without being clear to the viewer how it works; in regular clocks it is apparent what drives the hands and/or pendulum, but not so in mystery clocks. They majority were designed by the French. Because of their unique nature, they were often sensitive to their surroundings and required frequent attention to run smoothly. John was one of the few clock restorers who could get them running in good order again.