Edward Hacket

July 16

Carl Robert Keyes Daily Advert Update , , ,

What was advertised in a colonial American newspaper 250 years ago today?

New-Hampshire Gazette (July 16, 1773).

“DANCING SCHOOL For Young GENTLEMEN and LADIES.”

Edward Hacket (sometimes Hackett) announced that he “Has open’d his DANCING SCHOOL For Young GENTLEMEN and LADIES” in Portsmouth in the July 16, 1773, edition of the New-Hampshire Gazette.  The advertisements he previously placed in that newspaper may have helped the dancing master recruit enough students to make the endeavor viable.  He first advertised in March, four months earlier, placing himself in competition with Monsieur De Viart, another dancing master who advertised in the New-Hampshire Gazette at about the same time.  Hacket initially hoped to open his school “At the New ASSEMBLY HOUSE” in three weeks “on the First Tuesday in APRIL,” but he may not have acquired enough students to do so.  He envisioned offering lessons at the school on “Tuesdays in the Afternoon, and Wednesdays in the Forenoon” as well as private lessons for “Gentlemen or Ladies, either at the Assembly Houses, at such Hours as may be agreed on.”  He eventually gave lessons “On Thursdays in the Afternoon, and Fridays in the Forenoon,” perhaps choosing those times to match the preferences of his pupils.

By the time he opened his dancing school in July, Hacket apparently believed that prospective students and their families were familiar with his approach and his background.  He published a much shorter advertisement than the one in which he introduced himself in March.  Hacket initially described himself as “From EUROPE,” suggesting he passed along the same level of sophistication to his students as the French dancing master, Monsieur de Viart, did for his pupils.  He also listed other credentials, stating that he “has taught Dancing in many of the principal Towns in England, Ireland, and America.”  In addition, he confided to parents and guardians that those “who send their Children, may depend that great Care will be taken of their Education, and good Order observed.”  Hacket tended to developing appropriate personal comportment beyond learning the steps of the dances he taught.  By the time he opened his school, however, he did not consider it necessary to provide any of those details in his new advertisement.  The previous advertisement circulated widely over the course of several weeks, plus Hacket had opportunities to meet prospective students and their families to make overtures in person.  He may have considered a brief announcement in the colony’s only newspaper enough to rally any prospective pupils who had not yet committed.  Instead of a hard sell, this light tough may have suggested that his students needed his services more than he needed their patronage.

March 12

Carl Robert Keyes Daily Advert Update , , , , ,

What was advertised in a colonial American newspaper 250 years ago today?

New-Hampshire Gazette (March 12, 1773).

“He will teach Dancing in the politest Manner.”

Monsieur de Viart had competition for pupils at his dancing academy in Portsmouth.  The week after Viart commenced a new round of advertising in the New-Hampshire Gazette, Edward Hacket placed his own notice “to acquaint the GENTLEMEN and LADIES” that he would “open a Dancing-School, At the New ASSEMBLY HOUSE” in April.  Although dated February 11, that was likely a mistake.  Hacket’s advertisement did not appear in the New-Hampshire Gazette until March 12.  By then, Viart had taken the lead in advertising for the upcoming quarter in the public prints.

That did not deter Hacket from attempting to convince adults to take lessons from him and parents to enroll their children in his school.  For background, he described himself as “From EUROPE,” but did not go into greater detail.  He apparently hoped that his origins on the other side of the Atlantic gave him some cachet compared to dancing masters from the colonies … and made him competitive with his French rival, Monsieur de Viart.  Hacket did not believe that Viart was entitled to corner the market in Portsmouth.  According to his advertisement, neither did “many of the principal Inhabitants of the Town” who requested that he establish his own school even though Viart already operated a dancing academy there.  To further burnish his credentials, Hacket declared that he “has taught Dancing in many of the principal Towns in England, Ireland, and America.”  That being the case, he taught students how to dance “in the politest manner” and could assist them in learning “perfectly in a short Time,” preparing his pupils “for any Assembly or Company whatsoever.”

Just as participation in the consumer revolution was not restricted to the gentry in the largest colonial cities, neither was adopting the manners and skills associated with gentility.  As spring approached in 1773, two dancing masters offered their services in Portsmouth, Hampshire.  Each operated schools in that town and also offered private instruction in the homes of their pupils.  Hacket indicated that he also gave lessons in Exeter, New Hampshire, and Haverhill and Newbury, Massachusetts.  Prospective pupils in town and country alike, the dancing masters suggested, should consider how learning to dance well would secure and enhance their status.