Philadelpha Tall Clock, Thomas Wagstaffe

Thomas Wagstaffe, London movement and dial, housed in a Philadelphia made case. Made for the American / Philadelphia Market

101 H X 19.5 W X 10.5 D, inches

circa 1770

Wagstaffe, London, Brass eight-day moon phase movement with fluted quarter columns, and wonderful OG fee.

Wagstaffe was a Quaker clockmaker working in London from 1756 to 1793. He made brass clock works for Quaker cabinetmakers in both Philadelphia and Newport Rhode Island. Winterthur Museum has two Philadelphia Chippendale clock with Wagsstaffe works.

The paper attached to the clock identifies Thomas Wagstaffe, 33 Gracechurch Street, London, notes his activity from about 1769–1794, his Quaker associations, and specifically records longcase clocks bearing his name in the possession of American Quaker families. It also states that the case was apparently made in Philadelphia, citing the broken-arch head and finials as indications of Philadelphia cabinetmaking.

Provenance: From the Ohio collection of G.W. Samaha.