An Emerging American Industry Prior to 1780 virtually all clocks made in America were tallcase clocks with laboriously crafted brass movements patterned after their British or Germanic counterparts. The Willards of Massachusetts were the first to break with tradition by making smaller clocks in styles that could hang on a wall or sit on a shelf. Smaller clocks not only saved materials and labor, but were appealing new decorative fashions that could be offered profitably at lower cost. American clockmakers would soon change not only the types of clocks they made and the materials they used, but also the methods they employed. The age of handcrafting, with its high quality, high-priced, single production clocks, would give way to the mass production of clocks that were handsome and serviceable, yet cost only a fraction of the price of their handmade predecessors. |
