Clocks
Who Were the Dubucs?
While there were horlogists besides Dubuc who made Washington style clocks, the overwhelming majority that have come to be associated with the form that were sold into the American market use the standard dial signature set out below that say: Dubuc, Rue Michel-Le Comte, No. 33, A Paris:
Business directories from Paris as well as other clock examples from the period indicate that there were actually two Dubucs working at the same time in Paris in the early 1800's. The first was Jean-Baptiste Dubuc, who often signed his clock dials made for the French market with "Dubuc Le Junne" or "Dubuc Jeune" as can be seen below:
The second was Nicholas Dubuc, who often signed the dials on his clocks intended for the French market as "Dubuc Aine" as seen below:
The use of "Aine" (elder/oldest boy in French) and "Jeune" (young or the younder in French) indicate that the Dubucs were brothers, but which brother was responsible for the Washington clocks that used Number 33 Rue Michel-Le Comte on the dial signature? Research by Lara Pascali using Parisian business directories from the period indicates that the elder Dubuc (Aine) worked at 33 Rue Michel-Le Comte and was the likely maker of the clocks:
In the directory of An VIII, there are two clockmakers by the name of Dubuc, one at "Rue du Grand-Hurleur, 5" and the other at "Rue des Gravilliers, 84." These names and addresses are the same for An IX (1800-1801). There is a change of address for one of the clockmakers in An XI, in which one Dubuq is listed at "R. du Grand-Hurleur 5" and another Dubuq, at "R. du Grenier St. Lazare, 665." In 1806 and 1808, only one Dubuc appears, this time at "Rue Michel Lepelletier, 33." Then, in 1809, 1813, 1816, 1818 and 1819, "Dubuc aine" is listed at "Rue Michel-le-Comte, 33."[1]
Scholars of French ormolu clocks are in agreement that the brothers Dubuc worked with the best artisans in Paris and operated at the top rank of their craft. That their work could be found in the homes of many influential Parisian aristocrats and dignataries of the period is a testament to their notoriety and ability to penetrate the upper eschelons of society. While they are often described as two of the most important Parisian horologists of the Consulate and Empire periods,[2] it is surprising that so little is currently known about them.
For example, while we don't know the date of death for the elder brother Nicholas, Lara Pascali was able to determine[3] that the younger brother Jean-Baptiste died on December 26, 1819 and left his estate divided equally among three people: 1) his brother Nicholas, described in the will as having a Parisian address at 7 rue Saint-Claude au Marais, 2) Amable Dubuc, described in the will as a clockmaker living in the city of Saint-Nicolas-d'Aliermont, which is located in the township of Envermeu and part of the district of Dieppe, and 3) Marie-Therese Helene Dubuc, described in the will as a bookseller from Dieppe, which is approx 8 miles from Saint-Nicolas-d'Aliermont where Amable presumably lived.
As Lara Pascali noted:
Amable Dubuc's association with Saint Nicholas d'Alierlemont is significant as this was an area known for clock production. It is possible that the Dubuc family originated from the area and that Jean-Baptiste and Nicholas Dubuc left for Paris at some point in the late 1700s. Perhapds Jean-Baptiste and Amable were Nicholas' brother. Further research into the baptismal records at the Marie de Nicholas may provide more information about the family.[4]
While their Parisian dial signatures indicate that they needed to distinguish themselves from each other in the market, is it conceivable that the brothers collaborated in the manufacture of their clocks, partiularly the Washington clocks? Like so many questions surrounding the Dubucs, further research is needed.
A final issue worth noting is the date when Nicholas Dubuc started working at 33 Michel-le-Comte. Prior research has suggested that Nicholas:
...only worked from that address between 1809 and 1819. This is further supported by the discovery that prior to 1809, Rue Michel-le-Comte was named Rue Michel-Lepelletier. This would therefore explain the fact the change of address in the directory, and further debunk the myth that these clocks were brough over in 1805, or at least, that the clocks bearing the name Dubuc and Rue-Michel-le-Comte could not have been made before 1808, since the street did not exist prior to that date.[5]
Jacques Hillariet's Historical Dictionary of the Streets of Paris has been cited as support for the fact that Dubuc's Washington clocks couldn't have been made before 1808. First published in 1960, Hillariet's sources included Dictionnaire administratif et historique des reus de Paris et de ses monuments by Louis and Felix Lazare (first edition 1844) and Historie de Paris rue par rue, maison par maison by Charles Lefeuve (issued starting in 1863)[6]
Two additional reference books from the period indicate that the Rue Michel-Lepelletier was re-named Rue Michel-le-Comte three years earlier. As can be seen below, both The History of Paris from the Earliest Period to the Present Day[7] first published in 1827, as well as the Ville de Paris: Commission Municipale du Vieux Paris[8] first published in 1898, state that Rue Michel-Lepeletier bore this name from 1793 to 1806. If this is correct, this means that the earliest Dubuc could have made the Washington clocks was sometime in 1806.
Lara Pascali's research indicates that the name Dubuc appears in the Paris business directories as early as 1799.[9] Godefroy was born in 1765, so it is entirely possible that he established a relationship with Nicholas Dubuc (and possibly Jean-Baptiste) when he lived in Paris in the early 1800's. Recall that Godefroy was imprisoned in the fortress of Bellegarde and Château d'If and released about 1805, after which he was allowed to come to the United States.
Set out below is a selection of clocks by the brothers that demonstarte their artistic vision and wide range of design capabilities:
[1] Lara Pascali, "Desirable to the Patriots, French Washington Clocks for the American Market" page 5.
[2] https://www.lapendulerie.com/artistes/jean-baptiste-gabriel-dubuc/
[3] Lara Pascali, "Desirable to the Patriots, French Washington Clocks for the American Market" page 6.
[4] Lara Pascali, "Desirable to the Patriots, French Washington Clocks for the American Market" page 7.
[5] Lara Pascali, "Desirable to the Patriots, French Washington Clocks for the American Market" page 6.
[6] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dictionnaire_historique_des_rues_de_Paris
[7]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dictionnaire_historique_des_rues_de_Paris[6]https://www.google.com/books/edition/The_History_of_Paris_from_the_Earliest_P/QnbSAAAAMAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=rue+Michel-Lepeletier+1806&pg=PA268&printsec=frontcover [8]https://www.google.com/books/edition/Commission_municipale_du_vieux_Paris/SXg_AQAAMAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=inauthor:%22Commission+du+vieux+Paris%22&printsec=frontcover
[8] Lara Pascali, "Desirable to the Patriots, French Washington Clocks for the American Market" page 5.
