Clock, Westclox Scotland, Dumbarton, ca.1965
Record status
Individual type · partial
Period
ca.1965
Clock, Westclox Scotland, Dumbarton, ca.1965 is an object recorded by Victoria and Albert Museum, dated ca.1965. The museum's brief description reads: Nursery alarm clock with space-themed design, made in Scotland by Westclox Scotland, 1960s?.. Museum description: Nursery alarm clock with a round face, made from black-painted metal. It stands on a broad, flat foot. The face itself shows a stylised image of a purple spacecraft in orbit around a planet or moon, firing a laser beam at a smaller spherical object, which appears to rotate as the clock moves. The hands are of white-painted metal, the numbers around the edge are shiny and white. The face is covered by a clear acrylic disc. On the reverse of the clock are controls to wind, change the time and operate the clock's alarm. The museum record gives material recorded as steel, paper, acrylic; measurements Height 12 cm; Diameter 10.9 cm; place associated: Dumbarton. These details come from the holding museum's own record; how far this object represents a wider collectible type has not yet been independently verified.
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
Science fiction first became a popular genre in the second half of the nineteenth century. Writers such as Jules Verne and H.G. Wells dominated the scene, producing influential classics which remain popular up to the present day. Wide-scale interest in sci-fi was renewed in the 1950s and 1960s, first through fixation on (and fear of) atomic power and weaponry, and then by the Space Race, which was launched in 1957 with the Soviet satellite Sputnik. The popularity of sci-fi waned somewhat in the early 1970s, before it was again revived by the wildly successful Star Wars franchise, which begun in 1977. The brilliant imagination, design and special effects of Star Wars spawned a new generation of interest, as well as many new franchises seeking to capitalise on its popularity.
Physical characteristics
- Material
- steel, paper, acrylic
- Dimensions
- Height 12 cm; Diameter 10.9 cm
Technical characteristics
- Technique
- Pressed steel, painted black; printed card
- Place recorded
- Dumbarton
Identification
- Museum attribution
- Westclox Scotland
- Museum object name
- Clock
- Museum object number
- B.15-2017
- Museum system number
- O1389564
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: confirm materials, dimensions, maker and wider type against the museum record and a specialist reference.