Boston, MA
Circa 1810-1823
Watercolor, pen & ink on paper board
Courtesy of Gary R. Sullivan Antiques, Sharon, MA
This watercolor memorial illustrates the family of celebrated clockmaker Simon Willard (1753-1848) of Roxbury, Massachusetts. Perhaps the best known of all American clockmakers, Willard was an innovator who changed the course of clock making with a number of major improvements such as the patent timepiece, commonly referred to as the "banjo clock."
The memorial illustrates the names and birth dates of Simon, his wife, Mary, and their eleven children. Included are memorials to daughter Julia after her death in 1799 and eldest son, Thomas, who died in 1810. The record can be dated to after Thomas's death in 1810 but prior to 1823, when Simon's wife, Mary, died. Although official records of Willard family genealogy are known, the discovery of the record owned by the Willard household is extraordinary.
|
