Antique Furniture Journal — Shirley Slocombe c.1905 A History of English Furniture William & Mary Clocks

Carry the elegance of a golden age—when Shirley Slocombe drew the finest furniture of William and Mary’s England, he preserved in ink what craftsmen had carved in walnut and marquetry two centuries before.

This hardcover journal brings together two extraordinary documents of early 20th-century connoisseurship and commerce. The front cover reproduces a celebrated illustration by Shirley Slocombe (1849–1923), one of the foremost draughtsmen of English antiques, created for A History of English Furniture: The Age of Walnut by Percy Macquoid—the definitive scholarly work on English furniture published around 1905–1906. The back cover presents a period advertisement from The House of Quality, a remarkable commercial document of c.1900–1910 that catalogued grandfather clocks by New Haven, Waterbury, and Ansonia—three of America’s most celebrated clockmakers—at prices ranging from $84 to $110, an investment equivalent to some $3,000 today. Together, front and back cover form an uninterrupted meditation on the art of timekeeping: from the marquetry masterpieces of 17th-century London workshops to the weight-driven precision movements of Edwardian America.

Front Cover — Clocks, Mirror & Chair, Shirley Slocombe, c.1905: Three landmark pieces of the William and Mary period (c.1685–1702), rendered with the precision of a scholar and the eye of an artist. At the left stands a grandfather clock with pale seaweed marquetry—once owned by Percy Macquoid himself. At the right, a clock with rich dark marquetry from the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum, London. Between them, a walnut chair with a tall decorated back and a richly framed marquetry mirror complete a composition that reads as both a document of material culture and a study in decorative harmony. The floral border echoes the inlaid patterns of the furniture itself, uniting illustration and subject in a single ornamental vision.

Back Cover — The House of Quality Grandfather Clock Catalogue, c.1905: A period trade advertisement presenting grandfather clocks—or Hall Clocks—by New Haven Clock Co., Waterbury Clock Co., and Ansonia Clock Co., available in oak or mahogany with eight-day weight-driven movements, hour and half-hour strikes, and engraved metal dials with gold or silver ornament. Its typographic and illustrative style is a document of commercial art at the turn of the 20th century, conveying the status and domestic elegance that a grandfather clock conferred upon the Edwardian home.

Why This Journal Inspires:

• Shirley Slocombe’s scholarly illustration from Percy Macquoid’s landmark 1905 A History of English Furniture: The Age of Walnut
• William and Mary marquetry masterpieces including a V&A Museum clock and Macquoid’s own collection—two centuries of craftsmanship in a single composition
• Paired with a rare Edwardian trade catalogue by The House of Quality—art and commerce of the same golden era united in one full-wrap design
• New Haven, Waterbury, and Ansonia grandfather clocks at c.1905 prices—a document of Edwardian domestic elegance and commercial art

Product Details:

• Format: Hardcover journal with matte laminated full-wrap cover
• Pages: 150 lined pages (75 sheets) with perforations for easy removal
• Binding: Casewrap sewn binding that lays flat and flexes for comfortable writing
• Dimensions: 5.5 × 8.5 inches, lightweight and portable
• Weight: 0.1 kg
• Cover: Shirley Slocombe 1905 front, House of Quality c.1905 back, matte finish; small 0.5"x0.5" production barcode on back

Perfect For:

• Antique furniture collectors and English decorative arts enthusiasts celebrating the William and Mary period
• Horology lovers and grandfather clock aficionados drawn to New Haven, Waterbury, and Ansonia movements
• Admirers of Percy Macquoid, Shirley Slocombe, and the Victoria and Albert Museum’s furniture collection
• Design lovers drawn to the intersection of scholarly illustration and Edwardian commercial art
• Thoughtful gift seekers looking for a beautifully designed journal for historians, interior designers, and curious minds
• Anyone captivated by the quiet elegance of clocks that have measured centuries and furniture that has outlasted empires

Carry the elegance of a golden age—open this journal and write in the quiet company of clocks that have measured centuries, and furniture that has outlasted empires.

EU representative: HONSON VENTURES LIMITED, gpsr@honsonventures.com, 3, Gnaftis House flat 102, Limassol, Mesa Geitonia, 4003, CY

Product information: Generic brand, 2 year warranty in EU and Northern Ireland as per Directive 1999/44/EC

Care instructions: Use a soft, clean and dry cloth to gently brush any dust or dirt off from the center of book outwards.