A Brief History of Cuckoo Clocks
Posted: Thursday, April 06, 2006
by Sharon Foley
The Grandfather Clock Shop
by Virginia Talley .jpg)
Cuckoo clocks! What a unique name! You immediately think of a bird that makes a funny coo coo sound. A crazy bird that lays its eggs in another bird’s nest and leaves them to be raised by that bird. There is nothing so irresponsible about the people who make cuckoo clocks. They are dedicated craftsmen whose products are works of art.
The history of cuckoo clocks began a very long time ago in the Black Forest region of Germany - around 1738 to be exact. These people spent a great deal of time indoors during the snowy winter months and they had time to think about how to improve upon the clocks of their day. Many inventions are done by people who just look at something and realize that they have a very good idea of how to make it better. This was the case with Franz Anton Ketterer who is credited with being the inventor of the cuckoo clock. Franz Anton Ketterer lived in the heart of the German Black Forest. Other famous clockmakers of that era were Johann Baptist Beha and Fidel Hepting who also made cuckoo clocks.
At first these wall clocks were very primitive. Their faces were painted with water colors and depicted scenes from the Black Forest area. These beautiful scenes were completely open to the imagination of the painter. Animation of the birds, a pendulum, and weights were added later, as the inventor came up with new motion ideas and better ways to make the clocks. These clocks were wooden clocks made from the linden wood of the Black Forest. Linden wood is perfect for hand carving because it is a soft wood with short fibers. All of the cuckoo clock movements and gears were made from solid wood. Today many of the clocks have quartz movements.
By the late 1800’s, even though there were some clock factories producing the cuckoo clocks as well, the cuckoo clock industry had largely become a family business. Clocks were made in family houses with each member of the family assigned a special part of the clock as their contribution.
Families who made these collectible clocks were considered to be producers of the most beautiful and artistic clocks of this era. The production of these cuckoo clocks was also a way for families to enjoy things that they would not have been able to afford otherwise.
Out of this simple business came many careers. The family members became artisans in their own right, and were able to go on to more lucrative work. These artisans painted clock faces, carved the clocks, and constructed the cases.
By now we can understand that these clocks did not magically appear. They are the product of a wonderful idea from a questioning person. Clocks are a very important part of our lives, but they are, for the most part, taken for granted. Few of us take the time to wonder what went into the little cuckoo clock that hangs on our wall. We are happy to have it and enjoy hearing it, but seldom do we think about the man, Franz Anton Ketterer, who had the first idea for a cuckoo clock. Thank goodness for him and all the skillful work done by his family members, thereby making it possible for us to enjoy these collectable clocks over 250 years later. What a great antique find an old cuckoo clock would be!
Any home that is fortunate enough to have a decorative cuckoo clock as part of its home décor is brightened by the quirky little bird who comes out of the clock on schedule and coo coos the time for us every night and day.
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Yes, Just learned last week from a cousin that I am a decendant of Franz Anton Ketterer and he would be a Grandfather to me several times removed by the fact that my mother was (later in progression a "Sophie Ketterer") who migrated to the USA from Aachen, Germany with a sister. My mother married a Frederick Jensen of whom I know very little about. I myself (Capt. Arthur Jensen-USMM-Retrd), presently in Maryland with cousins in N.J.
