Levi Hall

May 18

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

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

Providence Gazette (May 18, 1776).

“ONCE MORE!”

Levi Hall and John Foster wanted the headline for their advertisement in the May 18, 1776, edition of the Providence Gazette to catch the attention of readers.  Every advertiser certainly wanted their notice to reach the public, but crafting a catchy headline was not a standard practice in the eighteenth century.  Some advertisements did not have headlines at all.  Others gave a generic summary of the purpose of the notice, such as “WANTED,” “FOUND,” and “TO BE SOLD.”  Some named items offered for sale, like “WRITING PAPER,” and others gave the name of the advertiser, including “NATHANIEL GREENE,” “CLARK and NIGHTGALE,” and “ELIHU ROBINSON, Hatter.”  John Sebring, the “saddler and Cap-Maker, from London,” once again deployed his mononym, “SEBRING,” as the headline for an advertisement.  Weel after week, similar headlines for paid notices appeared in the Providence Gazette.

That made “ONCE MORE!” stand out.  Its distinctiveness may have enticed readers to look more closely at the rest of the advertisement.  When they did, they learned that Hall and Metcalf called on those “indebted to the late Company of HALL and METCALF … to pay their respective Debts.”  Hall placed the notice as the “surviving Partner of said Company,” while Foster did so as the “Attorney to Desire Metcalf, Executrix to Nathaniel Metcalf, deceased.”  Tyey reported that a “Settlement of the Company’s Affairs [was] immediately demanded,” warning that “those who neglect this last friendly Notice, must expect to be sued, without Distinction.”  In other words, neither social status nor customer loyalty nor any other factor would prevent Hall and Foster from taking to court those who refused to settle accounts.  Hall and Metcalf’s widow had placed a similar advertisement nearly a year earlier on July 29, 1775, so it was not the first time that such a notice appeared in the Providence Gazette, but it would be the last, especially considering that an attorney rather Desire Metcalf signed the notice.  “ONCE MORE!” signaled some frustration, even though Hall and Foster asked readers to think of the advertisement as a “friendly Notice.”  The headline underscored that they were running out of patience.

In both advertisements, Hall, the “surviving Partner,” added a nota bene to inform the public that he “continues to sell the best dressed Leather of all kinds” and made “Leather Breeches, at the most reasonable Rates, and on very short Notice.”  Although the partnership had been dissolved upon the death of Metcalf, Hall continued the business “at the Sign of the Buck, opposite the Church,” hoping that years of experience serving the residents of Providence would help him gain and maintain his clientele.

October 15

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

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

Oct 15 - 10:15:1768 Providence Gazette
Providence Gazette (October 15, 1768).

“Leather and Breeches may also be had at said Nash’s Store, the Sign of the Buck and Glove.”

When Joseph Nash advertised a “large Parcel of Deers Leather” and “Buckskin Breeches” in the Providence Gazette in the fall of 1768, he informed readers that they could purchase these items at two locations in Providence. Prospective customers could deal directly with Nash “At the North End of the Town of Providence.” Alternately, they could also visit “Nash’s Store, the Sign of the Buck and Glove, just below the Mill-Bridge, in Providence.” Nash reported that Levi Hall and N. Metcalf, “Leather-Dressers,” had set up shop at that location. It appears that Hall and Metcalf may have been tenants rather than employees of Nash, but their relationship extended to assisting each other with their business endeavors. Nash’s advertisement concluded with a note that Hall and Metcalf wished to procure sheepskins, “for which they will give Cash or Leather.”

Whatever their relationship, Nash was the focal point of the advertisement, in terms of both the typography and the appeals made to prospective customers. “Joseph Nash” served as the headline for the advertisement, appearing on a line of its own and in much larger font than the rest of the copy in the advertisement. In that regard “Joseph Nash” matched the treatment given to the names of other advertisers in their notices, including “Joseph Olney,” “John White,” and “Charles Stevens.” The compositor also applied this design to advertisements placed by partners, giving each partner his own line: “JOSEPH / AND / Wm. RUSSELL” and “THURBER / AND / CAHOON.” With the exception of the masthead, the only other text of similar size in that issue came from the headline of an advertisement in which the printers promoted the “New-England / TOWN and COUNTRY / Almanack.” Both “New-England” and “Almanack” appeared in the same significantly larger font as “Joseph Nash.” Even though “LEVI HALL, and N. METCALF” appeared in capitals in the middle of the advertisement, “Joseph Nash” was the name readers would notice at a glance. It dominated the advertisement and the rest of the page on which it appeared.

Nash’s appeals to customers also overshadowed any independent work undertaken by Hall and Metcalf. Before he even mentioned that they occupied his store at the Sign of the Buck and Glove, Nash addressed the quality and range of choices among his “large Parcel of Deers Leather,” stating that the pieces were “dressed in the neatest Manner, and well so sorted, from the thickest Buckskin to the finest Doe; so that any Gentleman may have his Choice.” Furthermore, his “ready made Buckskin Breeches” were also “done in the neatest Manner, by a Workman from London.” Unlike Hall and Metcalf, Nash certainly supervised the work done by an employee at his location at the north end of Providence. The remainder of the advertisement mentioned that prospective customers could purchase the same items from Hall and Metcalf, but did not promote the quality, prices, or choices of their inventory, which also included “Sheep and Lambskins … and Sheeps Wool.”

Nash’s advertisement certainly promoted his own products. It also granted increased visibility to Hall and Metcalf even though the focus remained primarily on their collaboration with Nash. That likely served Nash’s purposes, especially if he wished to retain as much of his share of the local market as possible while also making Hall and Metcalf’s business a viable enough enterprise that they could continue as tenants or otherwise operating his second location at the Sign of the Buck and Glove.