Nathan Liverant and Son LLC

Queen Anne Figured Maple Tall Case Clock- Price Upon Request

Queen Anne figured maple tall case clock with eight day brass movement and engraved silvered brass dial, signed by the maker, “Reuben Ingraham, Plainfield”. 
Reuben Ingraham, (1744 - 1811) of Plainfield, Connecticut, 1770 - 1790.
Maple with Eastern white pine secondary wood.

Dimensions:  height – 83”, width - 19 1/2”, depth - 10 1/4”

Provenance:  The clockmaker Reuben Ingraham (1744 - 1811) was born in Saybrook, Connecticut in 1744, the son of Captain John Ingraham and his second wife, Lydia Bruce.  Reuben Ingraham spent his youth in Preston, Connecticut, served 
in the militia during the Revolutionary War and is recognized for his response to the Lexington Alarm.  It is now believed that Ingraham served his apprenticeship in Boston, where he was married in 1768 to Jane Davenport, the daughter of James Davenport, an inn keeper and baker.  Returning to Connecticut, Ingraham first settled in the active river port of Preston, home of John Avery (1732 - 1794), a noted clockmaker and goldsmith.  Ingraham and Avery appear to have worked closely together and combined their efforts to purchase land and buildings in Plainfield, Connecticut on October 8, 1784.

In the small group of known Ingraham clocks, one is marked Boston, three are marked Preston and three are marked Plainfield.  An article by Ada R. Chase in The Magazine Antiques, September 1940, illustrates a group of six Ingraham tall case clocks, including two that feature figured maple cases with engraved brass dials.  A more refined example of a figured maple case with an Ingraham movement is found in the Mabel Brady Garvan Collection at Yale.  Featuring a bonnet top hood, twist turned columns and a highly figured case, the clock also features an arched door with exterior brass hinges and a flat base with no feet.  The style of case is closely related to other case furniture made in the Preston area, including examples attributed to the cabinetmaker John Wheeler Geer (1753-1828).  While Reuben Ingraham clocks are rare, they show the hand of a skilled clockmaker and engraver, well connected to his fellow craftsmen in the Preston area.  Ingraham died in 1811, after a successful career, and is buried in Plainfield.