Curator's Chronicles Hello Clocktimers! In celebration of International Women’s Day, I would like to commend my fellow female horological curators, who look after and oversee horological collections throughout the world. Interestingly, horological curators are often women. This means that we are the conduit through which horology is often communicated to the public: we research, conceptualise and deliver the horological stories experienced by the public in museum and other public spaces. Also, with more women undertaking doctoral research in horology, it is often the expertise of female curators and scholars contributing to and progressing the field. We’re an interesting group. I want to highlight a historical woman of horology who did it all and more. Have you ever heard of Baroness Marie von Ebner-Eschenbach? Marie was born in Moravia, Czech Republic, in 1830 to an aristocratic family and spent most of her life in Vienna, Austria. In addition to being one of the most important German-speaking writers of the 19th century, she was an eminent horologist. Despite never being formally schooled, Marie received considerable intellectual training from two stepmothers (her mother died when she was an infant). Unsatisfied by married life, she subsequently devoted herself to literary work, the first product of which was produced as a play at the Karlsruhe Theatre in Vienna in 1860. Following several successful dramas, she began writing novels, short stories and poems. Sometimes described as an aphorist, her work shone a light on contemporary social problems and was nominated for the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1910 and 1911. Marie also undertook practical training as a watchmaker, producing her own watches. In horology, she is best known for bringing together one of the most important collections of 270 pocket watches and numerous clocks dating from the 1500s to the 1800s. Her horological expertise and love of her collection are reflected in her short novel Lotti die Uhrmacherin (Charlotte the Woman Watchmaker), written in 1889. On Marie’s 70th birthday, the University of Vienna made her an honorary Doctor of Philosophy. She died in Vienna, aged 86. After her death, the director of the newly founded Vienna Clock Museum, Rudolf Kaftan, moved heaven and earth to buy her precious watch collection. It was proudly exhibited when the museum opened in 1921. You can explore the entirety of Marie’s collection, including her own handwritten inventory, here. You might like to check out the Antiquarian Horological Society (AHS) Women and Horology Project. Its aim is to uncover the personal stories of women who worked in the field of horology over the past 200 years. Finally, I’ve just published a new clock story on Clocktime about the Sidereal Tompion Regulator, dated to 1708. This highly complex clock brings together a reading of the sun and the stars and encapsulates the dramatic end of an era in the Tompion household and workshop. It once belonged to Prof Edward T ‘Teddy’ Hall, who is best known for exposing one of the greatest archaeological scandals of all time. Read its story here. If you or your group would be interested in having me or one of my Clocktime colleagues speak at an event, in person or online, do contact me. As ever, I wish you all excellent timing. Kristin Leith
