Mantel or shelf clock featuring an image of P. T. Barnum's home, Iranistan, in Bridgeport, Connecticut. The clock is in a rectangular wood case with its front covered in a fine veneer (thin layer) of mahogany, a type of wood especially prized for fine furniture in the 1700s and early 1800s. This clock may date from 1848 when Barnum's home was completed, or slightly later, in the 1850s. Inside the clock there is a New York City retailer's label, William S. Johnson. Johnson was not likely the maker, but may have assembled clocks with components (clock face, mechanisms, case, glass panel, etc.) from various sources. The clockworks and face are positioned in the upper half of the case, and the pendulum hangs down into the lower half. Gears are visible in the center of the clock face. A door on the front of the case gives access to wind the clock, which presumably had to be done every seven or eight days. The door contains two glass panels, the top one being clear glass to protect the clock face, and the bottom one, which is slightly larger, is decorative and hides the pendulum. Barnum's elaborate home was truly unique in America at the time, and he used it to market himself, as part of his "brand." Although it may seem unusual today to own a clock featuring someone else's home, in the mid-1800s this clock might have suggested to its owners' visitors that he or she kept abreast of popular interests--Barnum and his extraordinary home were "in the news." The picture was created by applying a transfer print to the backside of the glass. An artist then painted over the print (also on the backside of the glass) using colors appropriate to defining the lawn, building, trees and sky. In this way, the artist did not need to do fine detail work but simply painted large areas of color, since the print supplied the "drawing" of the house. This method simplified the creation of a "reverse painting on glass" which traditionally was all painted by hand. In addition the transfer could include, as it does here along the bottom, a printed title, which eliminated the need to paint the letters (which would be in reverse) by hand. The picture is titled "Barnum's Villa." See EL 1990.001.002 for another mantel clock that features the same image, but with a darker variation in the painting. P. T. Barnum's first home in his adopted city of Bridgeport, Connecticut, was located on present day Fairfield Avenue, technically part of the neighboring town of Fairfield at the time. It was heavily inspired by the Royal Pavilion in Brighton, England, which Barnum had visited in the mid-1840s. Using drawings Barnum had acquired of the Pavillion, architect Leopold Eidlitz designed the mansion in the Moorish revival style. The resemblance to the Royal Pavilion is unmistakable. The cost was $100,000 in addition to the seventeen acres of land with a conservatory and other ornate outbuildings. No photographs are known to exist, but the mansion's decor was fully described in news articles of the day. (See 2006.005.003 and 1996.009.001 for two original watercolor pictures of Iranistan.) The cause of the fire that consumed the mansion in December of 1857 was believed to be smoldering ashes from a workman's pipe. Barnum and his family were not occupying the house at the time, as repairs were being made, and the fire did not become apparent until night.
