What was advertised in a colonial American newspaper 250 years ago today?
“A FINE mezzotinto print of that truly worthy Patriot S.A.”
When Charles Reak and Samuel Okey set about publishing a “FINE mezzotinto print of that truly worthy Patriot” Samuel Adams in the spring of 1775, they believed that they could generate interest in their project in Boston. Accordingly, they placed advertisements in the March 23 edition of the Massachusetts Spy and the March 26 edition of the Boston-Gazette. Reak and Okey chose among the five newspapers published in Boston at the time, selecting the two that consistently took the strongest stance in favor of the American cause during the imperial crisis that eventually became a war for independence. The savvy entrepreneurs knew which publications would put their notice before the eyes of readers most likely to form a market for a print of the influential and vocal advocate for American liberties.
The advertisement did not go into much detail about the print. It did not even name Adams, trusting that prospective customers would recognize him from the description and his initials, “S.A.” They did give the size, “fourteen inches by ten and an half,” so readers could envision framing and displaying the print. A note at the end of Reak and Okey’s notice in the Massachusetts Spy suggested that they had provided more information to the printing office and “[t]he remainder of this advertisement [will appear] in our next [issue].” The Boston-Gazette, however, carried the same copy without any additions. The Massachusetts Spy did not run any version of the advertisement again, neither the original nor an updated variation. Isaiah Thomas, the printer, published only two more issues in Boston before the political situation got too hot for him to remain there. He re-established the Massachusetts Spy in Worcester, safely away from British authorities, in May. The Boston-Gazette did run Reak and Okey’s advertisement one more time, on April 3, but Benjamin Edes and John Gill, the printers (and local agents designated to sell the print of Adams) suspended the newspaper after publishing the April 17 edition. Following the skirmishes at Lexington and Concord on April 19, they dissolved their partnership. Edes moved to Watertown and continued publishing the newspaper from there in June. The outbreak of hostilities almost certainly disrupted Reak and Okey’s plans for advertising and distributing their print of Samuel Adams.