On Tuesday, April 19th, the American Clock & Watch Museum received an Award of Merit from the Connecticut League of History Organizations (CLHO) for the publication of Joseph Ives and the Looking Glass Clock: A True Story of Risk and Reward in America’s Age of Invention. Author Mary Jane Dapkus and Museum Executive Director, Patti Philippon, accepted the award during the CLHO’s Annual Business Meeting and Award Ceremony.
The CLHO presents Awards of Merit to institutions and individuals who demonstrate the highest of professional standards, and who enhance and further the understanding of Connecticut history. The purpose of the Awards of Merit is to recognize the care, thought and effort invested in these contributions and to inspire and encourage others by acknowledging exceptional contributions to state and local history.
In their award description, the CLHO wrote, “In this thoroughly researched and lavishly illustrated book, horology scholar Mary Jane Dapkus investigates new primary sources and court records that expand upon a previous biography of Joseph Ives. One of Connecticut’s most inventive and best-loved clockmakers, Ives made some of the first metal-geared clocks in the United States. Her examination of over 150 court cases revealed the early 19th century economics of clockmaking and business relationships. A crucial discovery was made about an unreliable investor who was instrumental in Ives’ struggles for financial success, which caused him to sell the rights to his patents to pay debts. The book includes an analysis [written by Peter Gosnell] of the looking glass clock movements and their importance to the broader context of both Connecticut’s and America’s technological history.”
The CLHO Award of Merit committee was “impressed with the excellent scholarship and the quality of the research underlying the project.”