Location: Private Collection
This artifact is a family heirloom originally given to Mary Fisher (nee Miller). The solid gold pocket watch was produced in 1861 – during the industrial revolution – in the Waltham factory in Waltham, Massachusetts.
William Fisher purchased it for his wife, Mary Miller, in Montreal at the B. Sharpley and Sons jewelry store at 225 St. James Street in Montreal in 1862. Fisher bought the pocket watch for less than twenty dollars, a luxury at the time. The watch belongs to the private Fisher Family Collection and remains in excellent condition.
The primary use of the pocket watch was to tell time. In 1862, women wore pocket watches as functional necklaces. During these difficult times, watches were considered a luxury that only the wealthy could afford. Both men and women wore pocket watches, however, they were much more commonly worn by men.
Research and Description by Susan Ruth H.
