In the 18th century, Newport, Rhode Island, was home to some of the most skillful craftsmen in colonial North America. Among them were the clockmakers William Claggett (1694-1748), James Wady (d. 1759), and Thomas Claggett (1730-1797)-individuals whose surviving works became the best-known records of their lives. Although they flourished in an era widely considered as a golden age of prosperity in Newport, their stories remained elusive, with a few magnificent clocks the only testament to their place in pre-Revolutionary New England. Through a broad search of archival records and a hunt to locate and document not only the work of these artisans-featured here in stunning new photography-but also their interconnected lives, the authors offer a more accurate picture of these three men, their trade, and aspects of life in contemporary Newport. The resulting volume reveals their stories and extraordinary works: an important contribution to the history of masterful craftsmanship in Rhode Island.

Distributed for Winterthur Museum, Garden & Library and the Newport Historical Society

Exhibition Schedule:

Newport Historical Society
(12/08/18-04/21/19)

Redwood Library and Athenaeum, Newport
(12/08/18-04/21/19)

About the Author
Donald L. Fennimore is curator emeritus, Winterthur Museum, Garden & Library. Frank L. Hohmann III is a collector of 18th-century clocks and furniture.

Reviews
"Equal parts catalogue raisonne and superb social history. . . . The result is a truly remarkable act of historical recovery, an often thrilling narrative of how three artists spent their days. . . . In the hands of [Fennimore and Hohmann], admiration and scholarship coexist in near-perfect harmony. A rare marriage, that."-Kirk Davis Swinehart, Wall Street Journal

"Well-researched book" -Alan Midleton, Horological Journal





Book Information
ISBN 9780300233797
Author Donald L. Fennimore
Format Hardback
Page Count 272
Imprint Yale University Press
Publisher Yale University Press
Weight(grams) 2050g