Dan Huntington's Aaron Willard Grandfather Clock

A beautiful grandfather clock stands in the front hall of the Porter-Phelps-Huntington Museum. It is made of cherry, mahogany, and brass, and stands 92 inches tall. Purchased by Dan Huntington in 1800, before his marriage to Elizabeth Whiting Phelps, this Aaron Willard clock arrived at Forty Acres with Dan in 1817.

On New Year's Day 1801, Dan was married to Elizabeth Whiting Phelps in the Long Room of Forty Acres. Dan and Betsy lived in Litchfield, Connecticut with their children until 1809. Dan then moved his family to Middletown, where he was a Reverend at the First Congregational Church and ran a boarding school out of their home. In 1817, Dan moved his family to Forty Acres and took over management of his wife’s family farm. Dan’s Aaron Willard grandfather clock was one of the possessions included in the move.

Aaron Willard was a prominent member of the most famous clock making family in early America. Aaron and his brother Simon traveled to Boston to participate in the Revolutionary War. After the war, the brothers returned to their hometown of Grafton and set up a very successful clockmaking business. At the height of its production, Aaron’s shop employed all of the artisans required to make a single clock. Aaron Willard’s style and craftsmanship became the high standard that similar clocks were measured against.

The Laughing Audience

A small, easily overlooked piece of art hangs on the wall of the Northeast bedchamber. The frame holds a hand-colored engraving made by the 18th century printmaker and noted satirist, William Hogarth. “The Laughing Audience”, originally printed in 1790, depicts a group of men and women attending a theatre performance. Three separate social classes at the event are shown; the orchestral members, the nobles, and the general public. Each group is shown with distinctly separate reactions, thus explaining the title of the piece. The print originally belonged to Charles Bulfinch, whose son Stephen married Charles’ Phelps’ granddaughter, Caroline Phelps.

Charles Bulfinch, born in 1763, is most known for his famous architectural works, including the Boston State House and the United States Capitol Rotunda. Caroline and Stephen’s daughter, Ellen Bullfinch, eventually gave the print to her cousin Constant Davis Huntington, who donated it to the museum.

Apostle Pitcher

This octagonal pitcher depicting 8 apostles is one of many which were mass produced in the 19th century. By utilizing a technique employing plaster moulds, these pitchers were made for affordability and durability. Although mass produced, this pitcher maintains a great level of detail. The apostles are placed in Gothic inspired niches done in relief moulding. Each apostles’ garments are clearly defined as well as the welcoming expressions on their bearded faces. The white coloration of the earthenware gives the illusion that the pitcher is carved from marble or made out of porcelain, which are much more costly materials than the salt-glazed earthenware and pewter which it is actually made out of. The apostle pitchers or jugs were one of the most popular relief-moulded pitcher designs and are in the collections of other museums such as the Apostle Jug produced by Charles Meigh & Co. located in the Victoria & Albert Museum. Apparently, James Lincoln Huntington received this pitcher from an old patient and kept it because the pitcher reminded him of the one his Grandmother, Hannah Dane Sargent, used for syrup when he was a child.

Object of the Week: Charles Phelps Jr.'s Ink Stand

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This ink Standish- which was the term from the 15th to the 18th century- is crafted from pewter and most likely English or Irish in origin.  In the 1757 Porter inventory it is listed as an “ink case” worth “2d 1/2”.  It most likely belonged to Moses Porter and Charles Phelps, Jr. acquired it through marriage to Moses only child. The stand shows signs of being well-used, as its bottom exhibits multiple repairs and there is an alteration made to the front left section in order to deepen it. The different small compartments would commonly have held wax letter-sealing wafers, an ink well, gum powder called “pounce” which was sprinkled onto paper helping fix the ink, and most likely quills and a letter-opener.