The first comprehensive study of the life and times of colonial Philadelphia clockmaker Edward DuffieldEdward Duffield (1730–1803) was a colonial Philadelphia clockmaker, whose elegant brass, mahogany,... Read More
Description
The first comprehensive study of the life and times of colonial Philadelphia clockmaker Edward Duffield
Edward Duffield (1730–1803) was a colonial Philadelphia clockmaker, whose elegant brass, mahogany, and walnut timekeepers stand proudly in major American museums and collections. Duffield, unlike other leather-apron ‘mechanics,’ was born rich and owned a country estate, Benfield, and many more properties. He was deeply involved in civic and church affairs during crucial years in American history—his lifelong close friend, Benjamin Franklin, was staying at Duffield’s Benfield estate when Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, and John Adams first discussed the Declaration of Independence. Sally, Franklin’s daughter, brought her family there for extended periods during the Revolution and Franklin’s wife, Deborah, was best friends for fifty years with Duffield’s mother-in-law. Duffield was even one of three executors of Franklin’s will.
In this lavishly illustrated book, Bob Frishman catalogs and describes seventy-one known Duffield clocks and instruments and reveals how, during the mid-eighteenth century, they largely were not fabricated from scratch by isolated individuals. He contends that Duffield and his fellow clockmakers were not furniture-makers; they were mechanical artisans whose complex metal machines rang the hours and steadily ticked inside wooden cases made by others. Existing books on Philadelphia clocks have focused on these artifacts as furniture, including their woodwork, cabinetmakers, and decorative aspects. However, Frishman, a professional horologist for nearly four decades, brings his vast expertise to bear on this first comprehensive study of Duffield’s life and work.
Far more than a treatise on pre-industrial horological timekeeping, this book tells the compelling stories of a man, a city, and an era, while deepening our appreciation for Duffield’s stately sentinels—often a colonial American family’s most valuable possession—and the times and places in which their makers lived.
Details
- Price: $60.00
- Pages: 256
- Carton Quantity: 8
- Publisher: University of Pennsylvania Press, Inc.
- Imprint: The American Philosophical Society Press
- Publication Date: 20th August 2024
- Trim Size: 9.5 x 12.5 in
- Illustration Note: 227 illustrations
- ISBN: 9781606180099
- Format: Hardcover
- BISACs:
HISTORY / United States / State & Local / Middle Atlantic (DC, DE, MD, NJ, NY, PA)
HISTORY / United States / Colonial Period (1600-1775)
ANTIQUES & COLLECTIBLES / Clocks & Watches
Reviews
"With over forty years as a horologist and some 140 published articles, Bob Frishman is abundantly qualified to relate Duffield's story."- Antiquarian Horology
"Not only does Frishman’s book detail the context in which Duffield worked and the professional craftsmen he interacted with, but [it] also gives a comprehensive account of the social spheres Duffield inhabited."- Antiques and The Arts Weekly
"[It's] refreshing that the author fully integrated the life of Edward Duffield into the historical events of the time...if you enjoy reading about American history or colonial clockmaking, this book should be in your library."- Watch & Clock Bulletin
"[Frishman], who has been a professional horologist for nearly four decades, brings his vast expertise to bear on this first comprehensive study of Duffield’s life and work. Far more than a treatise on pre-industrial horological timekeeping, this book tells the compelling stories of man, a city, and an era."- The British Watch & Clock Makers Guild
"In Edward Duffield, Frishman offers us a truly definitive work, not just on an individual clockmaker, but on the world in which that man lived. It draws connections across many aspects of the horological, political, commercial, social and religious life of the earliest years of the nation, and is highly recommended reading for anyone who is interested in horological or American history — or both!"- Horological Times
"With its first-rate photography and long and useful bibliography, it should be on every library shelf."- Maine Antique Digest
"From his written works, like Edward Duffield: Philadelphia Clockmaker, Citizen, Gentleman, 1730-1803 to his public lectures, Frishman's zeal and knowledge about early American clockmaking and clockmakers is apparent."- Kathryn Sullivan, Chronicle of the Early American Industries Association
"[Frishman] is a wonderful storytellter and he has a talent for weaving the history of the day with events in the life of Duffield."- Patty MacLeish, Shavings, the online newsletter of the Early American Industries Association
Author Bio
The first comprehensive study of the life and times of colonial Philadelphia clockmaker Edward Duffield
Edward Duffield (1730–1803) was a colonial Philadelphia clockmaker, whose elegant brass, mahogany, and walnut timekeepers stand proudly in major American museums and collections. Duffield, unlike other leather-apron ‘mechanics,’ was born rich and owned a country estate, Benfield, and many more properties. He was deeply involved in civic and church affairs during crucial years in American history—his lifelong close friend, Benjamin Franklin, was staying at Duffield’s Benfield estate when Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, and John Adams first discussed the Declaration of Independence. Sally, Franklin’s daughter, brought her family there for extended periods during the Revolution and Franklin’s wife, Deborah, was best friends for fifty years with Duffield’s mother-in-law. Duffield was even one of three executors of Franklin’s will.
In this lavishly illustrated book, Bob Frishman catalogs and describes seventy-one known Duffield clocks and instruments and reveals how, during the mid-eighteenth century, they largely were not fabricated from scratch by isolated individuals. He contends that Duffield and his fellow clockmakers were not furniture-makers; they were mechanical artisans whose complex metal machines rang the hours and steadily ticked inside wooden cases made by others. Existing books on Philadelphia clocks have focused on these artifacts as furniture, including their woodwork, cabinetmakers, and decorative aspects. However, Frishman, a professional horologist for nearly four decades, brings his vast expertise to bear on this first comprehensive study of Duffield’s life and work.
Far more than a treatise on pre-industrial horological timekeeping, this book tells the compelling stories of a man, a city, and an era, while deepening our appreciation for Duffield’s stately sentinels—often a colonial American family’s most valuable possession—and the times and places in which their makers lived.
- Price: $60.00
- Pages: 256
- Carton Quantity: 8
- Publisher: University of Pennsylvania Press, Inc.
- Imprint: The American Philosophical Society Press
- Publication Date: 20th August 2024
- Trim Size: 9.5 x 12.5 in
- Illustrations Note: 227 illustrations
- ISBN: 9781606180099
- Format: Hardcover
- BISACs:
HISTORY / United States / State & Local / Middle Atlantic (DC, DE, MD, NJ, NY, PA)
HISTORY / United States / Colonial Period (1600-1775)
ANTIQUES & COLLECTIBLES / Clocks & Watches
"With over forty years as a horologist and some 140 published articles, Bob Frishman is abundantly qualified to relate Duffield's story."– Antiquarian Horology
"Not only does Frishman’s book detail the context in which Duffield worked and the professional craftsmen he interacted with, but [it] also gives a comprehensive account of the social spheres Duffield inhabited."– Antiques and The Arts Weekly
"[It's] refreshing that the author fully integrated the life of Edward Duffield into the historical events of the time...if you enjoy reading about American history or colonial clockmaking, this book should be in your library."– Watch & Clock Bulletin
"[Frishman], who has been a professional horologist for nearly four decades, brings his vast expertise to bear on this first comprehensive study of Duffield’s life and work. Far more than a treatise on pre-industrial horological timekeeping, this book tells the compelling stories of man, a city, and an era."– The British Watch & Clock Makers Guild
"In Edward Duffield, Frishman offers us a truly definitive work, not just on an individual clockmaker, but on the world in which that man lived. It draws connections across many aspects of the horological, political, commercial, social and religious life of the earliest years of the nation, and is highly recommended reading for anyone who is interested in horological or American history — or both!"– Horological Times
"With its first-rate photography and long and useful bibliography, it should be on every library shelf."– Maine Antique Digest
"From his written works, like Edward Duffield: Philadelphia Clockmaker, Citizen, Gentleman, 1730-1803 to his public lectures, Frishman's zeal and knowledge about early American clockmaking and clockmakers is apparent."– Kathryn Sullivan, Chronicle of the Early American Industries Association
"[Frishman] is a wonderful storytellter and he has a talent for weaving the history of the day with events in the life of Duffield."– Patty MacLeish, Shavings, the online newsletter of the Early American Industries Association