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Hugo Laubi (1888-1959), advertising poster for Turler Watches and Jewelry, circa 1960.

American watchmakers’ guild hosts ‘Horology in Art’ display

Sheila Gibson Stoodley
Sheila Gibson Stoodley
Hugo Laubi (1888-1959), advertising poster for Turler Watches and Jewelry, circa 1960.
Hugo Laubi (1888-1959), advertising poster for Turler Watches and Jewelry, circa 1960. Image courtesy of Bob Frishman

NEW YORK –  The Horological Society of New York (HSNY) is currently hosting its second exhibition, Horology in Art, at HSNY’s library in Midtown Manhattan. It will run through April of 2022.

For more than seven centuries, clocks and watches have been depicted in artwork around the world. Whether they’ve appeared as the major focus of a canvas or a subtle element in the backdrop, timekeepers have served as reminders of human mortality and as symbols of affluence, discipline, occupation or technological sophistication. Now, an exhibition of more than 60 examples is on display at the headquarters of America’s first watchmaking guild.

Nearly all the artworks are on loan from HSNY Exhibit Curator Bob Frishman, who created HSNY’s inaugural loan exhibit in early 2020 and has returned with a fresh theme accompanied by a 16-page illustrated catalog.

Unknown Artist, ‘Mother and Child Holding Pocket Watch,’ circa 1830. New England folk art portrait, oil on canvas, period gilt frame.
Unknown Artist, ‘Mother and Child Holding Pocket Watch,’ circa 1830. New England folk art portrait, oil on canvas, period gilt frame. Image courtesy of Bob Frishman

Among the original artworks are a circa-1830 folk-art portrait of a mother and child holding a pocket watch; the preparatory watercolor by Anatol Kovarsky for a 1961 New Yorker cover showing a watchmaker in his shop; and a circa-1840 portrait miniature on ivory in which a young woman’s watch and chain are visible.

Anatol Kovarsky (1919-2016), ‘Clockmaker.’ Original cover art for the March 11, 1961, issue of the New Yorker, graphite and watercolor on paper with collage. The artist and illustrator was a fixture at the magazine throughout the 1960’s as a cartoonist and cover artist.
Anatol Kovarsky (1919-2016), ‘Clockmaker.’ Original cover art for the March 11, 1961, issue of the New Yorker, graphite and watercolor on paper with collage. The artist and illustrator was a fixture at the magazine throughout the 1960’s as a cartoonist and cover artist. Image courtesy of Bob Frishman

Iconic artists represented in the exhibit’s prints include Salvador Dali, Jan Steen, Andrew Wyeth, Winslow Homer, and Giovanni Piranesi. Vintage photographs include two mid-19th-century daguerreotypes, cabinet cards, cartes de visites, glass lantern slides, and several examples of Mathew Brady Civil War-era portraits whose subjects share the scene with his studio’s “Reaper” figural mantel clock.

Mathew Brady, (1822-1896), Clara Barton. Photographic print from glass-plate negative, circa 1865. The honored American nurse is shown at about age 43, and her portrait includes the “Reaper” cast-metal mantel clock in the background.
Mathew Brady, (1822-1896), Clara Barton. Photographic print from glass-plate negative, circa 1865. The honored American nurse is shown at about age 43, and her portrait includes the “Reaper” cast-metal mantel clock in the background. Image courtesy of Bob Frishman

“Curating these artworks for my personal collection, and now for the public to view, has been a two-decades-long passion project for me,” said Frishman, who has been a clock restorer and writer-lecturer on horology for more than 30 years. “Thanks to today’s technology, I am happy to share my archives of more than 2,000 examples of timepieces displayed in artworks through a continuous slideshow exhibition. The different depictions of watches and clocks in art help us learn about how time was perceived in the past while helping to advance the art of horology today.”

Samuel P. Howes, (1806-1881, attr.) Miniature of Young Woman with Watch, circa 1840. Painted on ivory, original gilded copper oval pendant frame.
Samuel P. Howes, (1806-1881, attr.) Miniature of Young Woman with Watch, circa 1840. Painted on ivory, original gilded copper oval pendant frame. Image courtesy of Bob Frishman

Visits are free of charge and timed tickets are required to visit the Horology in Art exhibition. To visit, please schedule an appointment. HSNY is located at 20 West 44th Street, Suite 501, New York, NY 10036. Proof of vaccination and masks are required.

For more on Bob Frishman, please visit http://www.bell-time.com/. He currently serves as HSNY’s Exhibit Curator.

About the HSNY

Founded in 1866, the Horological Society of New York (HSNY) is one of the oldest continuously operating horological associations in the world. Today, HSNY is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing the art and science of horology through education. Members are a diverse mix of watchmakers, clockmakers, executives, journalists, auctioneers, historians, salespeople and collectors, reflecting the rich nature of horology in New York City and around the world.

Visit the website of the Horological Society of New York (HSNY) and see its dedicated page for Horology in Art.