Portable clock 19th century

This portable clock was made in the 1800s by Décombat. It is constructed primarily from metal, with a white enamel dial. What makes this clock remarkable is not just its function, but how its materiality speaks to the changing times. Clocks like this were only possible thanks to industrialization. Before then, timepieces were luxury items, handmade by skilled artisans. But with new manufacturing techniques, metal could be cast and formed with greater ease and less expense. The clock’s case, likely made of iron or steel, and its relatively simple construction suggest a move towards mass production. Portable clocks like this one embody the changing relationship of people to time, made accessible not only to the aristocracy but also the emerging middle classes. The clock's design, though simple, reflects an age of burgeoning industrial production. The clock shows us how even everyday objects can tell stories about labor, class, and the wider world.