Fascinated by Clocks and Stained Glass at Halim Time and Glass Museum in Evanston, IL

Fascinated by Clocks and Stained Glass at Halim Time and Glass Museum

Halim Time and Glass Museum in Evanston, Illinois adds quite an intriguing museum option to the Chicago suburban area. The museum combines both the art of stained glass as well as a window into the history and development of keeping time. The museum does seem to be a bit eclectic but I liked how it combined two different art forms in quite a bit of detail under one roof. The museum displays the sizable collections of real estate developer Cameel Halim and his wife Hoda. He began the collection 30 years ago -- so there is quite a bit for the public to enjoy! As you explore the museum, you also gain more appreciation for the intricacies of each art that we often take for granted.

Admiring the Varied Art of Louis Comfort Tiffany

The first gallery we visited featured Tiffany. Louis Comfort Tiffany is well known for his stained glass windows and lamps. While exploring the Tiffany Gallery, I learned that he experimented with a variety of other artistic styles as well. The gallery included pottery, oil paintings, watercolors and mosaics as well as windows by Tiffany. Detailed information accompanies each display on one or multiple placards. I was particularly intrigued by Tiffany's mosaics which were inspired by Byzantine churches.

Stained glass art was often commissioned by churches. So, you will see no shortage of religious art within the museum. Some of the art was acquired from closed churches and from others unfortunately as the result of economic downtown. Fortunately, the art has a wonderful home where it is safe and visitors can appreciate it and learn from it. Below is a shepherd scene by Tiffany:

Woman with Daughter by Louis Comfort Tiffany is one of the signature pieces in the gallery. Here we learned about Tiffany's techniques of using glass colors, texture and opacity to create movement rather than paint as used by previous European artists.

Woman with Daughter by Louis Comfort Tiffany

Wander the World of Stained Glass Masters

Entering the second gallery, we were greeted by the brilliant colors of a maze of stained glass windows. In this gallery, we were introduced to artists other than Tiffany including La Farge, Maitland Armstrong, Gorham and more. We learned about the American process of layer plates rather than painting on the stained glass as in Europe. Here you could actually touch some of the stained glass!

Surrounded by dazzling stained glass works.

In this gallery, I still found a Tiffany which happens to be my favorite in the gallery. Spring Lake was originally attributed to another artist but is now attributed to Tiffany. Beautiful!

Spring Lake attribute to Louis Comfort Tiffany.

Clocks of the World

Fascinated by the mechanisms inside working clocks, Cameel Halim collected over 1,100 timepieces which today take visitors through the history and innovation of timekeeping. At the beginning of the gallery, we discovered horological tools. Then, we learned how timekeeping clocks were developed at monasteries in order to keep time for prayers.

Horological devices 

Soon, we were entirely swept up into the history of clocks. We learned about the development of the pendulum and how the length had to be adjusted to accurately reflect time. We viewed astronomical clocks, nautical clocks, barometers, chronometers, deck clocks and more. The clocks came in all sizes and I think we have seen some of the largest ever in this collection!

Ornate French clocks. The clock in the center is called The Triumph of Love Over Time.

We viewed ornate clocks, simple clocks, clocks with all sorts of mechanical scenes and much more. Clocks came from a variety of countries including England, France, China, Japan and the USA. Videos allowed us to see the mechanisms inside of each clock. I was surprised that the bird cages below are actually clocks. If you look at the picture below, you will see that there is a clock on the bottom of each cage.

Bird cages with a clock! 

I can say that I never imagined many of the types of clocks in the museum including windmills, submarines and balloons. My favorites though look a little more traditional because they remind me of some my grandfather has:

Early American made clocks.

Halim also houses a huge pocket watch collection including many made here like these made in Freeport:

Truly, I have presented just the tip of the iceberg of the horological adventure at Halim. The collection is quite mesmerizing. Being able to see the interworking of so many clocks, clocks of so many different purposes as well as incredible decorative clocks certainly captivates! We could have spent 2 hours checking out the clocks alone!

More Than a Museum:

Halim also has a restoration and repair center to help you restore your clocks. You can even schedule an at home visit. A gift shop contains unique giftables. Additionally, you can host an even there. Halim Time and Glass Museum also holds its own unique events like an upcoming evening of Flamenco! The museum opened its doors in 2017 and is a welcome new addition to the suburbs! I am glad that we had an afternoon to explore this unique and intriguing museum. Such an unexpected and interesting adventure!

**Disclosure: No compensation was received for this post. All opinions are 100% my own.