What was advertised in a revolutionary American newspaper 250 years ago today?
“Stockings made in the best manner, for those that bring their own stuff.”
In an advertisement that first ran in the August 10, 1775, edition of the New-York Journal, James Wallace informed the “Ladies and Gentry” of the city that he “makes and sells, black and white silk patent lace for ladies aprons, handkerchiefs, &c.” and “hoods, aprons and tippets, and several other things in that way.” In addition, he made and sold “silk and thread gloves and mitts, the silk of which is American produce.” On that point, Wallace made an additional pitch: “He therefore hopes to be honoured with the commands of those who wish to encourage their own manufacture.” It was not clear whether the silk for his lace to adorn aprons, handkerchiefs and other items was produced in the colonies or just the lace for his gloves and mitts.
Either way, Wallace expected his marketing would resonate with prospective customers who certainly knew about the provisions of the Continental Association without him explicitly invoking it. That nonimportation agreement also called on American producers to supply alternatives and American consumers to support their endeavors. The eighth article stated, “That we will, in our several Stations, encourage Frugality, Economy, and Industry; and promote Agriculture, Arts, and the Manufactures of this Country.” Wallace made it easy for the “Ladies and Gentry” of New York to do so.
Wallace also noted that he made stockings “in the best manner, for those that bring their own stuff.” In other words, customers could reduce the prices they paid for stocking by supplying their own materials, paying only for the labor. Once again, consumers had an opportunity to put their political principles into practice in the choices they made in the marketplace. In supplying their “own stuff,” the “Ladies and Gentry” could opt for thread spun in their own homes, either by themselves or by servants, or for thread that they knew for certain had been produced in the colonies. Wallace did not merely offer a chance to save money for customers who provided their own materials; he also signaled that they could support the American cause through their own industry in producing those materials.