Once the silversmith's trade became firmly established, some craftsmen migrated from urban centers to less densely populated areas. There they benefited from less competition but, concomitantly, had to contend with a reduced clientele.  These rural craftsmen usually produced simpler forms and retailed more complex objects made by their urban counterparts, in addition to finding supplemental employment. Typical of such craftsmen, Benjamin Bunker also worked as a clock and watchmaker to assure his livelihood.

Technical notes: See B.69.101. 

Related examples:  Carpenter and Carpenter 1987, pp. 130–32.

Book excerpt: David B. Warren, Michael K. Brown, Elizabeth Ann Coleman, and Emily Ballew Neff.  American Decorative Arts and Paintings in the Bayou Bend Collection. Houston: Princeton Univ. Press, 1998.