Tall Clock
Record status
Individual type · partial
Period
1912
This tall-case clock, dating to 1912, features a tall, vertical cabinet constructed of mahogany ornamented with brass inlay. The rectilinear case is framed at the front by two vertical corner piers that extend upward past the flat top, terminating in layered, geometric finials. Set into the upper front surface is a circular dial flanked by inlaid linear borders, while the clock hands were made by Chicago metalsmith Robert Riddle Jarvie according to Elmslie's design. The internal mechanical movement and its nine chimes were imported from Germany.
The clock measures 213.3 × 66 × 40 cm (84 × 26 × 15 3/4 in.). It was designed by Scottish-born architect George Grant Elmslie of the architectural partnership Purcell, Feick and Elmslie. The mahogany case was manufactured in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, by the interior architecture and decorating firm Niedecken-Walbridge Co., headed by George Niedecken.
Evidence at a glance
- Linked sources
- 1
- Photograph views
- 1
- Catalogue references
- 0
Counts describe this entry’s documentation, not authenticity, rarity or completeness. Photographs may show one specimen; check each caption and licence.
Historical context
The clock was commissioned in 1912 as part of an eight-piece furniture addition designed by Purcell, Feick and Elmslie for the Henry Babson House in Riverside, Illinois. Architect Louis Sullivan had originally designed the Babson residence in 1907, with Elmslie executing much of the initial built-in and freestanding furniture while working in Sullivan's office. Elmslie collaborated with George Niedecken to craft furnishings that reinforced a unified, organic relationship between the building's architecture and interior decorative schemes.
Physical characteristics
- Material
- Mahogany with brass inlay
- Dimensions
- 213.3 × 66 × 40 cm (84 × 26 × 15 3/4 in.)
Technical characteristics
- Maker recorded
- Designed by George Grant Elmslie (American, born Scotland, 1869–1952), Purcell, Feick and Elmslie (American, active 1910–13), Made by Niedecken-Walbridge Co. (American, active 1907–38), Milwaukee
- Place recorded
- Milwaukee
Identification
- Source note
- Transcribed from the Art Institute of Chicago collection record for this single object; how far it represents a wider collectible type has not been independently verified.
- Museum object name
- Tall Clock
- Museum object number
- 1971.322
Catalogue references
No catalogue numbers recorded. Numbers are only published once transcribed from a verified edition of a standard catalogue — they are never inferred.