From about the 1880s through the 1940s, making decorative and useful objects from recycled wood boxes and crates became a popular pastime, especially among men. The Revenue Act of 1865 had mandated the use of wooden boxes—commonly made from mahogany, cedar, and pine—to pack cigars and tobacco, but did not permit the boxes to be reused. As a result of this and the increasing volume of goods shipped in wooden crates, an enormous amount of raw material became freely available to those with the talents and imagination to use it. The name "tramp art" was applied to this type of work that became associated in the popular imagination with an itinerant lifestyle and the act of whittling to fill time. In truth, many men living in stable households—often immigrants— practiced the art. Surfaces were built up in graduated layers. In each layer, the edges were notched in a repeating V-shape, a chip-carving technique that was widespread throughout many areas of Europe, particularly in Germany and Scandinavia. As each layer was slightly smaller than the last, the notched edges created a crimped effect and the construction took on the typical pyramidal form associated with tramp art.

This is one of four pieces that are unusual because of their variety and size, and significantly because the maker is identified. Joseph Yoges (1878–after 1957) was born in Lithuania and immigrated to the United States in 1910. He was naturalized in Detroit, Michigan, in 1934. His occupation in the 1930 Federal Census is listed as a laborer in a pump house and later records record him as a janitor in a government building. Yoges was living in Detroit in the 1930s when he fashioned two ornate clocks, a large cabinet, and a more typical jewelry box. He used a variety of wood boxes; the drawers in the cabinet, for instance, were fashioned from Eagle Brand preserved milk boxes from the Borden Corporation. The four works, including this tall clock, were proffered to his landlord in lieu of rent during this time of economic hardship and depression.

Stacy C. Hollander, "Tramp Art Clock," exhibition copy for American Perspectives: Stories from the American Folk Art Museum Collection. Stacy C. Hollander, curator. New York: American Folk Art Museum, 2020.