147-C-1204

ATKINS & DOWNS 8 DAY TRIPLE DECKER SHELF CLOCK
INDEX # : 147-C-1204

circa: 1831-1832

CLOCK STYLE Carved Column & Splat 8 Day Triple Decker Shelf Clock

CLOCK NAME N/A

MANUFACTURE

Atkins and Downs, Bristol, Conn. for George Mitchell

Rollin Atkins (1790 - 1844)
Irenus Atkins (1792 - 1882
Anson Downs (???? - 18??)
George Mitchell (1794 - 1852

Image on top left is of Irenus Atkins

Image on bottom left is of George Mitchell

CASE MODEL # N/A

MOVEMENT TYPE

Type 4.322 Eight Day, weight driven movement, with original weights. Movement made by Atkins & Downs. An early repair was done to the escapement bridge.

CASE SIZE & CONSTRUCTION

Base = 17", Height = 41", Depth = 6"
Mahogany veneered case with carved columns and splat. The center columns are gold gilt.

LABEL INFORMATION

Original in poor condition:
"Eight Day Clocks, / Manufactured by / Atkins & Downs / for George Mitchell, / Bristol, Conn., / and sold by him wholesale and retail. / Warranted if well Used".

DIAL INFORMATION

Dial glass (11" x 11") has been replaced and is held in place with silicon. The Original wood dial (11" x 12") is hand painted with black Arabic letters and gold gilt gesso spandrels. There is some damage to the finish across the dial, but not bad enough to strip it down and redo it in my opinion.

MISC. FEATURES

Both the upper and lower tablets are historically correct replacements done by Tom Moberg prior to us acquiring the clock. The lower tablet was done in the door as it still has it's original putty holding it in. The upper tablet is 8 1/2" x 15", and the lower tablet is 7" x 11".
Bottom image to the left is the back side of the lower tablet, signed by artist Tom Moberg.

ACQUIRED FROM Christmas gift in December 2004 from my wife KL. Clock came from the collection of Robert K. (Texas).

CONDITION WHEN ACQUIRED The case is in good original condition with some minor veneer damage to the left side. This will be restored using a veneer patch and stains to match the original color. The original hand painted wood dial is in fair shape with some loss of paint is several areas. We will probably not restore it as it isn't bad enough to scrape off and start over. The Eight day wooden movement is in good condition with no broken teeth. The gold columns and front ball feet were painted by a previous owner, we will strip these and apply 23K gold leaf to restore to original condition.

RESTORATION

Both tablets were restored by Tom Moberg (prior to us acquiring the clock), the lower tablet being done while still in the case as it has it's original putty.
January 2005 - Stripped the gold paint off of the center columns and ball feet. Applied a thin coat of varnish and when just slightly tacky applied sheets of 23k Patent gold leaf. Finished restoration of columns and feet with burnishing cloth.

February 2005 - Repaired three areas of veneer damage; Left lower side, replaced an area of missing veneer that was 1 1/2" by 2 1/2"; Bottom of lower door, replaced a small nick in veneer; Bottom right column pedestal, replaced small piece of missing veneer. All veneer repairs were made with Honduran Mahogany, applied to case with Hide glue, and original stain colors matched using raw umber and burnt sienna oil paints. Repairs were finished with two coats of shellac, buffed out with 000 steel wool to match the original sheen. Repaired images are shown within the red borders.

HISTORICAL DATA

Atkins Clock shop in Bristol, Conn. c. 1855
The firm Atkins & Downs consisted of Irenus and Rollin Atkins and Anson Downs. They were listed as being in business from 1831-1832 in Bristol, Conn. Irenus was an ordained Baptist Minister besides being a clock maker. Primarily built clocks for George Mitchell who was a retailer, and married to the Atkins brother's sister Polly. Anson left the firm in 1832 and went to Waterville, Conn. where he went into the cutlery business. Anson was the younger brother of Ephraim Downs who was also an important figure in the Connecticut clock industry. In 1859, Irenus Atkins started The Atkins Clock Company which ran successfully for 20 years making shelf, calendar, and marine clocks. Irenus retired from the clock making industry in 1879 due to failing eyesight.
These eight day wood movement clocks were not very successful competing with the brass Eight Day clocks that were being produced by other companies such as C. & L.C. Ives. It is believed that they were no longer produced after 1843. They were produced in much lower numbers than their 30 hour wood movement counterparts, which continued to be used up until 1847 or so. It is believed that the early eight day wooden movements used by Atkins & Downs were supplied to the firm by Ephraim Downs and Samuel Terry. These clocks were not produced in great numbers by any of the firms manufacturing them. From 1830 to 1839, the shop records of Ephraim Downs show that he produced 6,741 30 hour wood movements compared to only 244 eight day wood movements. The eight day movement clocks sold wholesale for $7.00 - $9.00 during this period.
The image to the left is the Atkins Clock shop in Bristol, Conn. c. 1855

REFERENCES 1. "NAWCC Bulletin # 208 - Wood Movement Identification", page 490, figure 53.
2. "Eli Terry and the Connecticut Shelf Clock" by Kenneth D. Roberts and Snowden Taylor, 1994
3. "Illustrated Catlaogue of Clocks Manufactured by the Atkins Clock Company, Bristol, Conn. - 1873" by Chris Bailey
4. "The Clocks of Irenus Atkins" by Phil Gregory & Robert King
5. "Eight Day Wood Movement Shelf Clocks" by Bryan Rogers & Snowden Taylor.

NOTES This is our first Eight Day wooden movement clock, as well as our first carved column & splat. A good friend of ours (Phil) helped KL acquire the clock.

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Please note, that our interests are in preserving and restoring horological items, we do not sell pieces from our collection or provide online appraisals. Any emails requesting values will be discarded. Sorry, but I am not an appraiser nor do I have time to provide this service. If your questions are of a historical nature, I will be happy to respond.

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CLOCK STYLE	Carved Column & Splat 8 Day Triple Decker Shelf Clock
CLOCK NAME	N/A
MANUFACTURE	Atkins and Downs, Bristol, Conn. for George Mitchell Rollin Atkins (1790 - 1844) Irenus Atkins (1792 - 1882 Anson Downs (???? - 18??) George Mitchell (1794 - 1852 Image on top left is of Irenus Atkins Image on bottom left is of George Mitchell
CASE MODEL #	N/A
MOVEMENT TYPE	Type 4.322 Eight Day, weight driven movement, with original weights. Movement made by Atkins & Downs. An early repair was done to the escapement bridge.
CASE SIZE & CONSTRUCTION	Base = 17", Height = 41", Depth = 6" Mahogany veneered case with carved columns and splat. The center columns are gold gilt.
LABEL INFORMATION	Original in poor condition: "Eight Day Clocks, / Manufactured by / Atkins & Downs / for George Mitchell, / Bristol, Conn., / and sold by him wholesale and retail. / Warranted if well Used".
DIAL INFORMATION	Dial glass (11" x 11") has been replaced and is held in place with silicon. The Original wood dial (11" x 12") is hand painted with black Arabic letters and gold gilt gesso spandrels. There is some damage to the finish across the dial, but not bad enough to strip it down and redo it in my opinion.
MISC. FEATURES	Both the upper and lower tablets are historically correct replacements done by Tom Moberg prior to us acquiring the clock. The lower tablet was done in the door as it still has it's original putty holding it in. The upper tablet is 8 1/2" x 15", and the lower tablet is 7" x 11". Bottom image to the left is the back side of the lower tablet, signed by artist Tom Moberg.
ACQUIRED FROM	Christmas gift in December 2004 from my wife KL. Clock came from the collection of Robert K. (Texas).
CONDITION WHEN ACQUIRED	The case is in good original condition with some minor veneer damage to the left side. This will be restored using a veneer patch and stains to match the original color. The original hand painted wood dial is in fair shape with some loss of paint is several areas. We will probably not restore it as it isn't bad enough to scrape off and start over. The Eight day wooden movement is in good condition with no broken teeth. The gold columns and front ball feet were painted by a previous owner, we will strip these and apply 23K gold leaf to restore to original condition.
RESTORATION	Both tablets were restored by Tom Moberg (prior to us acquiring the clock), the lower tablet being done while still in the case as it has it's original putty. January 2005 - Stripped the gold paint off of the center columns and ball feet. Applied a thin coat of varnish and when just slightly tacky applied sheets of 23k Patent gold leaf. Finished restoration of columns and feet with burnishing cloth. February 2005 - Repaired three areas of veneer damage; Left lower side, replaced an area of missing veneer that was 1 1/2" by 2 1/2"; Bottom of lower door, replaced a small nick in veneer; Bottom right column pedestal, replaced small piece of missing veneer. All veneer repairs were made with Honduran Mahogany, applied to case with Hide glue, and original stain colors matched using raw umber and burnt sienna oil paints. Repairs were finished with two coats of shellac, buffed out with 000 steel wool to match the original sheen. Repaired images are shown within the red borders.
HISTORICAL DATA Atkins Clock shop in Bristol, Conn. c. 1855	The firm Atkins & Downs consisted of Irenus and Rollin Atkins and Anson Downs. They were listed as being in business from 1831-1832 in Bristol, Conn. Irenus was an ordained Baptist Minister besides being a clock maker. Primarily built clocks for George Mitchell who was a retailer, and married to the Atkins brother's sister Polly. Anson left the firm in 1832 and went to Waterville, Conn. where he went into the cutlery business. Anson was the younger brother of Ephraim Downs who was also an important figure in the Connecticut clock industry. In 1859, Irenus Atkins started The Atkins Clock Company which ran successfully for 20 years making shelf, calendar, and marine clocks. Irenus retired from the clock making industry in 1879 due to failing eyesight. These eight day wood movement clocks were not very successful competing with the brass Eight Day clocks that were being produced by other companies such as C. & L.C. Ives. It is believed that they were no longer produced after 1843. They were produced in much lower numbers than their 30 hour wood movement counterparts, which continued to be used up until 1847 or so. It is believed that the early eight day wooden movements used by Atkins & Downs were supplied to the firm by Ephraim Downs and Samuel Terry. These clocks were not produced in great numbers by any of the firms manufacturing them. From 1830 to 1839, the shop records of Ephraim Downs show that he produced 6,741 30 hour wood movements compared to only 244 eight day wood movements. The eight day movement clocks sold wholesale for $7.00 - $9.00 during this period. The image to the left is the Atkins Clock shop in Bristol, Conn. c. 1855
REFERENCES	1. "NAWCC Bulletin # 208 - Wood Movement Identification", page 490, figure 53. 2. "Eli Terry and the Connecticut Shelf Clock" by Kenneth D. Roberts and Snowden Taylor, 1994 3. "Illustrated Catlaogue of Clocks Manufactured by the Atkins Clock Company, Bristol, Conn. - 1873" by Chris Bailey 4. "The Clocks of Irenus Atkins" by Phil Gregory & Robert King 5. "Eight Day Wood Movement Shelf Clocks" by Bryan Rogers & Snowden Taylor.
NOTES	This is our first Eight Day wooden movement clock, as well as our first carved column & splat. A good friend of ours (Phil) helped KL acquire the clock.