Western Clocks in Postcards
Just as western style teacups and teapots
were used as "props" in many photographic studios, sometimes a
western mantle clock was included in staged interior scenes to make the
photograph more interesting and to lend a touch of high class to the image. In
the top three images (below) the same clock has been used in different
settings. This may be a clue that all the different scenes were photographed in
the same studio. Alternatively, this may have been a popular and relatively
cheap imported clock. Counting from the top left image to the bottom right:
numbers six to eleven are the same clock. On two of them (eight and nine) the
clock can be seen to tell the same time - but on closer inspection it is clear
that it is the same photograph, with one of them being hand-coloured. Image
number thirteen and fourteen are the same clock in different settings - so
again these postcards may have been photographed in the same studio. The clock
in the last image, the one under a glass cover, is an expensive mantle clock
and therefore is more likely to belong to a rich family than being a
photographic studio prop.
Click the images to zoom.
Click the images to zoom.