"A Great Curiosity- An Ivory Watch"
Unearthed from the back room of the Sheldon Museum, this little ivory clock made in the late 19th century was a gift from a Middlebury citizen and jeweler to his wife, Lydia. The watch was tagged and was an one of Henry Sheldon’s original curiosities. S. Holton, tagged as the creator, was a jeweler and watchmaker in Middlebury between 1851 and 1875 (Voss.) He had a fine jewelry and “Fancy Goods” business in Middlebury (The Middlebury register). The American Silversmiths organization lists Holton’s most notable accomplishment being this certain ivory watch (Voss). It was undoubtedly a fine treasure. The use of hidden ivory as gears and inner workings is not commonplace at all, and it made for a one of kind gift. But the modern viewer will likely still ask... What was the Henry Sheldon Museum, and why did this object deserve a spot? After studying the time period and the events that characterize it, it becomes clear that this little, odd, handcrafted clock is a synthesis of several important historical happenings. Using Sheldon’s values and collecting habits as a road map, we can learn a lot about what a upstanding citizen of a New England town thought was important, in Vermont and the world, at the time.