“Gingerbread” Clock, Waterbury Clock Company, c. 1890, wood and glass, 22.375 inches high, Gift of Mrs. S.E. Pitner, 1963.18.34.
“Gingerbread” clocks, named for the ornamental embellishment of their wooden cases, complemented the decorative quality of Victorian home and furniture design. Connecticut’s Waterbury Clock Company was one of several American manufacturers that harnessed new industrial processes to mass-produce clocks in the late 1800s.