This clock, which stands above the fireplace in Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s library, was a gift from his brother-in-law Thomas Gold Appleton in 1848. It is a French clock made in the Louis XIV style, and its manufacture dates to about 1740. The clock features intricate Boulle Work of brass and tortoiseshell inlay, a process perfected in the late 17th and early 18th centuries by French cabinet maker André-Charles Boulle, who produced pieces for the Sun King, Louis XIV. The brass clock face holds twelve individual enameled plates with Roman numerals to mark the hours. The spring driven mechanism is etched with the name Gault, indicating that it may have been made by Denis Gault, a Paris-based clockworks manufacturer active in the 1740s.Both Fanny and Henry Longfellow recorded the occasion of the clock’s arrival at the house. In her August 26, 1848 journal entry, Fanny wrote “Tom out with splendid Louis Quatorze clock and buffet of carved wood to adorn the library”. Likewise, Henry recorded on the same day “Then Tom and Jewett bringing out a Louis Quinze clock . . .” attributing the clock to the similar but slightly later Louis XV style.
By the time the National Park Service took over administration of the Longfellow House, the clock had suffered from neglect and multiple inexpert repairs. After extensive conservation that took place in 2002, its appearance was restored to its former glory and the mechanism was repaired so that the clock could once again function. It is still displayed in the Longfellows’ library, where it keeps time 171 years after it was initially installed there.