Design for Case Clocks
ca. 1805
Medium
furniture
Classification
furniture
Department
Smithsonian Collection
Museum
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Credit
Purchased for the Museum by the Advisory Council
Accession Number
1911-28-496
Rights
Public Domain
About this artwork
Research in Progress
Art Historical Context
Step into the early 19th-century world of American craftsmanship with *Design for Case Clocks*, a fascinating blueprint from around 1805 now housed in the Smithsonian American Art Museum. Created by an unknown artist, this furniture design captures the elegance of tall case clocks—those stately timepieces often gracing parlors and hallways as symbols of refinement and technological progress. Purchased for the museum by the Advisory Council, it reflects the period's blend of functionality and ornamentation during the young American republic's Federal era. Though research on this piece is ongoi...
About the Artist
Unknown
The artist designated as "Unknown" in our virtual museum's collection exemplifies a poignant chapter in art history: creators whose identities have faded into obscurity despite the enduring power of their work. With only one known artwork attributed to them in our holdings, this figure represents countless anonymous hands that shaped visual culture across centuries. Museums worldwide, including th...