THE DIAL SIGNED BY DANIEL PORTER (B. 1775), WILLIAMSTOWN, MASSACHUSETTS, 1800-1820

Elaborate and expensive, musical tall-case clocks from early America are exceedingly rare. This example is signed by Daniel Porter (b. 1775), who apprenticed with the famous clockmaker, Daniel Burnap of East Windsor. Porter's 1793 indenture to Burnap survives and provides a fascinating glimpse into eighteenth-century American employment practices. At the time, Porter was under the guardianship of Ezekiel Loomis and under the terms of the contract, he agreed, among other things, to not marry, play cards, haunt taverns or play horses, and in return Burnap was to teach him the "art, trade, or calling of clockmaking, silversmithing, and watch repairing" while providing him with food and board. Porter had moved to Williamstown by February 1799, when he purchased a house and lot on Main Street. Clocks with works by Porter are in the collections of the Wadsworth Atheneum and Historic Deerfield. See David A. Sperling, "Daniel Porter: Apprentice of Daniel Burnap," Maine Antique Digest (April 1996).