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Joseph Lowy, Watchmaker (1889-1979)
Melbourne watchmaker Joseph Lowy began to loan and donate items to the museum from the late 1940s. For more than thirty years Lowy developed a close working relationship with the museum staff.
Lowy was born in Ostrava, Czechoslovakia and had trained in watch making in Karlstein, Austria, before migrating to Melbourne at the age of 20.
Writing in his neat hand on his distinctive letterhead (J. Lowy, ‘Distributor of Punctuality’), Lowy guided the development of the collection. He wrote to European makers requesting loans or donations of the watches and clocks that demonstrated the latest technological developments. He arranged for his old technical school in Austria to make large models of watch escapements for the museum’s displays.
Lowy also purchased items at auction and then sold them on to the museum at cost. Some came from the most unlikely sources. Lowy purchased at auction a silver pocket watch from the estate of a man who carried all his belongings around the streets in a sack. The watch turned out be have been made by the famed 18th century British watchmaker George Graham.
In recognition of his role in developing the collection, the museum appointed Lowy the Honorary Curator of the Horological Collection in 1953, a position he retained until his death in 1979.
Items per page: 10 50 (showing 1 - 10) 31 items
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Alarm Clock - England, circa 1880
Alarm clock, England, late 19th century, in cylindrical padded case. Does not tell the time but is set for a selected period.
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Negative - Joseph Lowy, Honorary Curator of Horology, 1970s
Photograph of Joseph Lowy, Melbourne watchmaker, who was appointed Honorary Curator of Horology to the Museum of Applied Science (later Science Museum of Victoria) in 1953, retaining th ...
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Negative - Joseph Lowy, Honorary Curator of Horology, 1970s
Photograph of Joseph Lowy, Melbourne watchmaker, who was appointed Honorary Curator of Horology to the Museum of Applied Science (later Science Museum of Victoria) in 1953, retaining th ...
Images: 3 -
Alarm Clock - Illuminating, France
Alarm clock with illuminating mechanism, France. As alarm rings a lever is released to strike a match and project it forward, opening door on right and illuminating dial.
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No Image Available
Automaton Clock - Austria
Automaton clock, Austria. Soldiers on either side of the dial strike imitation bells on hours and quarters. The pendulum consists of a warrior standing in a chariot drawn by two horse ...
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Calendar Clock - Germany
Calendar clock, W & H, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. Round dial in chrome case with octagonal mounting. Rotating cylinder shows month, outer ring shows day of week, and hand points to ...
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Clock Movement - Garant, Germany, 1954
Clock movement, Garant, 1954. Movement mounted in black leather cloth case with ST 023789.
From: Ludwigshafen, Germany Images: 2 -
Clock Movement - Garant, Germany, 1954
Clock movement, Garant, 1954. Movement mounted in black leather cloth case with ST 023790.
From: Ludwigshafen, Germany Images: 2 -
Gravity Clock - France, circa 1880
Gravity mantel clock, made in France and retailed by Barraud & Lund, London, circa 1880.
From: London, United Kingdom Images: 5 -
No Image Available
Mantel Clock - Belfry Clock, Germany
Belfry clock, in which doors open to reveal monk pulling a bell rope. Made in Germany.
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