John Waterman

June 25

Carl Robert Keyes Daily Advert Update , , , , ,

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

Providence Gazette (June 25, 1774).

“There has been Cause of many Complaints on the Part of his Customers.”

In the summer of 1774, John Waterman ran an advertisement in the Providence Gazette to inform the public that he “Continues to carry on the Clothier’s Business, in every Part, … with the greatest Improvements.”  Among the services he provided, he “dyes all Sorts of Colours in the most beautiful and durable Manner, and dresses Cloth in the best and neatest Forms.”  In particular, he “dyes Cotton and Linen Yarn of a fine, lively, and most durable Blue.”  Waterman did not go into detail about the “Improvements” he made to his business, but some of them likely involved hiring new employees.  At the start of the year, he had placed an advertisement seeking a clothier “well experienced in all Parts of the Business” to work at the “new and most compleat Works in the Colony.”

In this new advertisement, Waterman confessed that “there has been Cause of many Complaints on the Part of his Customers, heretofore, for a Deficiency … in dying and dressing their Cloth.”  Apparently, launching his new enterprise had not gone as smoothly as Waterman hoped.  To remedy the situation, he assured the public that he “has taken great Pains to get a good Workman.”  Furthermore, he asserted that he “is determined that he will not hereafter continue any in that Business, but such as shall give general Satisfaction.”  In other words, he would no longer employee workers who produced shoddy work, deferring to the judgment of his customers when it came to deciding what was unacceptable.  In an effort to redeem his reputation, Waterman acknowledged legitimate concerns voiced by previous customers and pledged that he had taken appropriate action to address them.

That being the case, the clothier proclaimed that he “is now ready to serve such as may please to favour him with their Custom.”  Waterman promised that they “may depend upon having their Work done with Dispatch, in the best Manner, and at the most reasonable Rates,” combining appeals to efficiency, quality, and price.  He asked former and prospective customers to forgive any misstarts that previously occurred and trust that his business now provided exemplary service.

January 15

Carl Robert Keyes Daily Advert Update , , , , , ,

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

Providence Gazette (January 15, 1774).

“Clothiers Press-Papers … much superior to any imported from Europe.”

John Waterman sought a clothier, “well experienced in all Parts of the Business,” to work at “the new and most compleat Works in the Colony” of Rhode Island, recently established at “the Paper-Mills in Providence.”  According to the advertisement he placed in the January 15, 1774, edition of the Providence Gazette, candidates for the position would have “good Encouragement” if they could produce recommendations for their “Diligence, Steadiness, Activity and Integrity.”  Waterman instructed “Any Person with the above Qualifications” to apply at the clothier works at the paper mill.

In addition to seeking an employee, Waterman used his advertisement for another purpose.  He inserted a nota bene under his signature, advising the public that he sold “Clothier Press-Papers made by said WATERMAN, as good as any manufactured in America, and much superior to any imported from Europe.”  He had deployed the same marketing strategy the previous summer, declaring that his “Clothier Press-Papers” were “equal to any made in America, and far superior to any imported from Europe.”  In that advertisement, Waterman listed local agents in Providence, East Greenwich, and Newport, who also sold his product.

Throughout the imperial crisis, many advertisers made “buy American” appeals to consumers.  They did so more frequently when relations with Parliament became more strained, but even in times of relative calm some still asserted that colonizers should purchase “domestic manufactures” instead of imported goods.  Waterman did not make an explicitly political argument to readers of the Providence Gazette, though they certainly understood the context in which he proclaimed his “Clothiers Press-Papers” were “much superior to any imported from Europe.”  Along with the politics, Waterman and others aimed to convince American consumers that they did not have to accept inferior products when they bought goods produced in the colonies.  Waterman emphasized quality in his advertisement, likely trusting that readers would reach their own conclusions about other advantages of supporting his enterprise rather than purchasing similar items imported from Europe.

September 20

Carl Robert Keyes Daily Advert Update , , , , ,

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

sept-20-9201766-providence-gazette
Providence Gazette (September 20, 1766).

“To be RUN … by any Horse, Mare, or Gelding.”

Yesterday’s advertisement promoted a lottery for “SUNDRY Millinery Goods” at Joseph Calvert’s vendue house in Williamsburg. After weighing the risks and taking a chance, participants acquired an assortment of goods that they could keep for their own use or resell to others, further extending networks of commerce and distribution of goods in the colonies.

Today’s advertisement also invited readers to take a chance and perhaps win a prize, “a good pinchbeck WATCH, valued at Sixteen Dollars” awarded to the owner of “any Horse, Mare, or Gelding, in the County of Providence” that won a race to be held a little over a week later. Unlike the advertisement for Calvert’s lottery sale, this notice did not – and could not – indicate participants’ odds of winning the prize. It all depended on which horses (and how) many entered. The sponsors required that each entrant “pay one Dollar, upon entering his Horse,” presumably hoping to attract more than enough to balance the value of the watch to be given as the prize.

During the second half of the eighteenth century advertisements for goods and services increasingly placed consumption within a culture of entertainment, especially for those with sufficient wealth and leisure. Although this advertisement did not sell any particular merchandise or services, it did inform colonists of opportunities to be entertained. Those who owned fast horses could participate, but many others could also gather in Cranston to watch the run. The race and anticipation of which horse would win the prize for its owner offered the most excitement, but the entire event offered an entertaining experience, an opportunity to socialize with others and to see and be seen before and after the horses and riders competed. Anyone hoping to win the pinchbeck watch was most likely attired in the sorts of fashionable clothing and accouterments advertised elsewhere in the same issue of the newspaper. Gathering for this event allowed for consumption to become even more conspicuous.