Victorian clocks are timepieces made during the reign of Queen Victoria, from 1837 to 1901, a period in which industrial production, rising prosperity and the spread of railway time put a clock in almost every home. The era produced an enormous variety, from fine fusee bracket clocks and skeleton clocks to inexpensive mantel clocks and kitchen wall clocks.
Traditional English makers continued to produce high-quality fusee movements for bracket, dial and longcase clocks, while imported French movements were fitted into marble and slate cases and gilt-metal garnitures. American factories such as Seth Thomas and Ansonia, together with German makers, supplied cheaper spring-driven clocks in great numbers in the later decades. Typical styles reflect the period's taste for revivals, with Gothic, Renaissance and classical cases, black slate and marble mantel clocks resembling temples, and round wall dials in railway stations, schools and offices. Collectors look for good movements by known makers, original dials and hands, sound cases and correct pendulums and keys. Fusee movements and well-documented makers command a premium, while mass-produced examples remain affordable and practical clocks for everyday use.
