A Classical 'George Washington' Shelf Clock, Made for the American Market, Works by Jacques Nicolas Pierre François Dubuc (1743-1817), Paris, circa 1815

Perla May (Knecht) (Riegel) Martin (1881-1957), Easton, Pennsylvania

Elsie L. (Peters) Bell Knight Griffin (1895-1986),

Philadelphia, niece;

St. Louis Gentleman, grandson;

Christie’s, New York, Important American Furniture, Folk Art and Silver, January 20, 2017, sale 13791, lot 622. 

This clock had been in the same family for over a century, with its earliest known owner being Perla May Knecht (1881-1957) from Easton, Pennsylvania. Perla was the daughter of Abraham Shimer Knecht (1828-1908) and Anne Louise Adler (1845-1902). It’s possible she inherited the clock from her grandparents or great-grandparents within the Knecht, Adler, Shimer, and Moffett families. After Perla’s passing, the clock was passed down to her niece, Elsie L. Peters (1895-1986), the daughter of Jessie L. (McKeen) Peters (1866-1953), who was Perla’s half-sister. Elsie, who was married three times, spent most of her life in Philadelphia, where she was later buried alongside her parents at the Ivy Hill Cemetery.