E. Howard and Company Astronomical Regulator
Record status
Individual type · partial
Period
1855-1859
This astronomical regulator was made by E. Howard & Co. in Boston between 1855 and 1859. Constructed for precision timekeeping rather than domestic decoration, it omits standard complications such as striking or calendar trains.
The clock is fitted with a sixteen-inch silvered regulator dial that indicates hours, minutes, and seconds on separate tracks. For thermal compensation, its steel pendulum rod carries two glass jars filled with mercury. Around 1855, the regulator was sold to the Charleston, South Carolina, jewelry firm James Allan and Company. Except for repair at the Howard factory following the 1886 Charleston earthquake, it remained with the Allan family business until entering the Smithsonian collection in 1977.
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.
Technical characteristics
- Type
- Astronomical regulator
- Date Made
- 1855-1859
- Place Made
- Boston, Massachusetts, United States
- Manufacturer
- E. Howard & Co.
- Place recorded
- United States
- Dial Description
- Sixteen-inch silvered dial displaying hours, minutes, and seconds separately
- Maker / attribution
- E. Howard & Co.
- Overall Clock Height
- 93 in (236.22 cm)
- Pendulum Construction
- Steel rod with two mercury-filled glass jars
Design
- Visible features
- • Tall standing wooden case with carved cresting above a circular dial bezel • Regulator dial format with independent subsidiary hour and seconds displays • Arched glazed trunk door displaying a mercury jar pendulum and driving weight
- Dial and Compensation Mechanism
- The clock is equipped with a sixteen-inch silvered dial that indicates hours, minutes, and seconds separately. The source records that the name of the original retailer, James Allan and Company, is engraved on the dial. For thermal stability, the steel pendulum rod carries two glass jars filled with mercury. The expansion and contraction of the mercury compensates for changes in the rod's length as the room temperature rises and falls.
- Object Identity and Construction
- This E. Howard & Co. astronomical regulator is an American-made precision timepiece dating to 1855-1859. Standing 93 inches tall, the clock is constructed from wood and brass. The design excludes nonessential complications, such as striking mechanisms, calendar work, and moon dials, as it was designed exclusively for keeping time. The clock features a tall standing wooden case with carved cresting above a circular dial bezel. It includes an arched glazed trunk door, which displays the mercury jar pendulum and the driving weight.
- Provenance and Historical Context
- About 1855, E. Howard and Company sold the clock to the Charleston, South Carolina jewelry firm James Allan and Company. The regulator remained in the same Allan family store—later referred to as the Charles Kerrison Company after 1960—from 1865 until it came to the Smithsonian in 1977. On August 31, 1886, the regulator fell over when an earthquake rocked Charleston. Following this event, the clock was briefly returned to the Howard factory for repairs.
Identification
- Source note
- Facts transcribed from the linked source listing or collection record. Attribution and specifications are source-reported and have not been independently authenticated.
Catalogue references
No catalogue numbers recorded. Numbers are only published once transcribed from a verified edition of a standard catalogue — they are never inferred.
Research required
- Research required: Internal movement mechanism is not directly visible behind the dial
- Research required: Engraving of James Allan and Company noted in the text is not clearly legible at current image resolution