The Dominy craftsmen were a family made up of American clock, furniture, and watch makers in

East Hampton, New York The Town of East Hampton is located in southeastern Suffolk County, New York, at the eastern end of the South Shore of Long Island. It is the easternmost town in the state of New York. At the time of the 2020 United States census, it had a total ...

. Nathaniel Dominy IV, his son, Nathaniel V, and his grandson, Felix Dominy were active from about 1760 to 1840. Works created by the Dominys are in the collections of Winterthur Museum, Garden, and Library. As of 2022, a museum dedicated to the Dominys is under construction in East Hampton.

Family

Nathaniel Dominy IV (1737–1812) was a

woodworker Woodworking is the skill of making items from wood, and includes cabinet making (cabinetry and furniture), wood carving, joinery, carpentry, and woodturning. History Along with stone, clay and animal parts, wood was one of the first materials ...

clockmaker A clockmaker is an artisan who makes and/or repairs clocks. Since almost all clocks are now factory-made, most modern clockmakers only repair clocks. Modern clockmakers may be employed by jewellers, antique shops, and places devoted strictly t ...

and watch repairman. His son, Nathaniel Dominy V (1770–1852), was a furniture maker and carpenter. Felix Dominy (1800–1868), son of Nathaniel Dominy V, mostly made clocks and repaired watches.

Workshops

The Dominy home (c. 1765), woodworking shop (1791), and clock shop (c. 1798) sat on Main Street in East Hampton. The Dominy home was demolished in 1946 and the family shops were moved from their original locations. The shop buildings were most recently located at Mulford Farm. In 1957, the

Winterthur Museum, Garden and Library Winterthur Museum, Garden and Library is an American estate and museum in Winterthur, Delaware. Pronounced “winter-tour," Winterthur houses one of the richest collections of Americana in the United States. The museum and estate were the home of ...

acquired tools, equipment, furnishings, and fittings from the Dominy shops. Reconstructions of the shops have been on display at Winterthur since 1960. Winterthur curator Charles F. Hummel wrote an influential book on the Dominy craftsmen in 1968.

Museum

In 2021, it was announced the Dominy family home would be rebuilt on Main Street using architectural specifications from the Historical American Buildings Survey. As of January 2022, the East Hampton Historical Society is in the process of restoring the home and shops for use as a museum.

References

{{Reflist, 2 Families from New York (state) 18th-century woodworkers 19th-century artisans Collections of the Winterthur Museum, Garden and Library People from East Hampton (town), New York