Providence Gazette

September 10

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

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

Providence Gazette (September 10, 1774).

“He has removed his Shop to … the Sign of the Hat in Hand.”

When William Barton moved to a new location as the summer came to a close in 1774, he placed an advertisement in the Providence Gazette to inform “his good old Customers in particular, and the Public in general” where to find him.  Having established a clientele, the hatter did not wish to miss out on subsequent business if customers went to his former shop and did not discover him there.  All prospective customers, whether or not they previously acquired hats from Barton, could recognize his new location by the “Sign of the Hat in Hand.”  The hatter did not indicate whether that marketing device had marked his previous location or if it was an innovation on the occasion of setting up shop on Weybosset Street.  Either way, it became part of the landscape of advertising that colonizers encountered as they traversed the streets “near the Long Wharff” in Providence.

To entice consumers to visit his shop, Barton made a variety of appeals.  He promised quality, stating that he made hats “in the best Manner.”  He emphasized fashion, declaring that his hats reflected “genteelest Taste.”  He touted his own skill and industriousness, asserting that “the greatest Expedition” went into producing his hats.  He offered choices to consumers, proclaiming that his inventory included “all Kinds of Hats.”  For his boldest appeal, he trumpeted that he was “determined to dispose of his Hats on as reasonable Terms as any Hatter in America.”  Barton did not merely compare his prices to his local competitors.  He confidently declared that consumers would not find any better deal anywhere, even if they sent away to Boston or New York or any other city or town in the colonies.  He challenged readers to visit his shop, learn his prices, and judge for themselves.  If his claim could get potential customers through the doors, that increased his chances of making sales.  Though his advertisement was not particularly lengthy, Barton incorporated many of the most common marketing appeals advanced by artisans in eighteenth-century America, anticipating that they collectively became more even more convincing.

September 3

Carl Robert Keyes Daily Advert Update , , , ,

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

Providence Gazette (September 3, 1774).

“An Oration upon the noble and interesting Subject of ENGLISH LIBERTY.”

An advertisement in the September 3, 1774, edition of the Providence Gazette advised the “Friends of LIBERTY” of an upcoming “Oration upon the noble and interesting Subject of ENGLISH LIBERTY” to be given by “Doctor BEZELEEL MANN, at LIBERTY SEAT, near his House in Attleborough,” Massachusetts, at the end of the month.  Just days before the delegates to the First Continental Congress commenced their meetings in Philadelphia, the doctor announced his intention to expound on some of the ideas that had inspired representatives from throughout the colonies to gather to discuss how to respond to the Coercive Acts.

John Carter, the printer of the Providence Gazette, did his part to promote the lecture.  He did not merely generate revenue from publishing the notice but instead gave it a privileged placed in his newspaper.  It appeared following local news from the Providence area, including coverage of recent town meetings, and immediately after the shipping news and death notices that regularly marked the end of the news and the beginning of advertising.  Carter could have chosen from among nearly twenty advertisements to place there, but he seems to have privileged one that reiterated the political sentiments and sense of alarm expressed in so much of the news he selected to print or reprint from other newspapers on the first several pages of that edition.  Even if readers did not closely examine all the advertisements, they were more likely to notice the first one that followed the news.  Throughout the colonies, newspaper printers frequently adopted this strategy of treating advertisements like news by placing them immediately after news coverage.

The advertisement for Mann’s lecture also resonated with Carter’s notice that he published an American edition of English Liberties, or the Free-born Subject’s Inheritance.  It made its second appearance on the final page of the September 3 edition of the Providence Gazette, having initially run as the first item on the front page a week earlier.  In both instances, advertisements as well as news and letters expressed an editorial position, both in terms of their content and their position on the page.  In addition, they directed readers to more ways to imbibe the rhetoric of resistance that ultimately became revolution.

August 27

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

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

Providence Gazette (August 27, 1774).

“This Day is PUBLISHED … ENGLISH LIBERTIES.”

It took nearly two years, but John Carter finally published an American edition of English Liberties, or The Free-born Subject’s Inheritance in August 1774.  The printer of the Providence Gazette previously circulated a subscription proposal addressed to “the Friends of Liberty and useful Knowledge.”  Dated November 7, 1772, the proposal appeared in newspapers in several towns in New England.  On occasion, Carter inserted updates on the progress of the project in his own newspaper, often giving them a privileged place.  He did so once again on August 27, 1774, when he announced, “This Day is PUBLISHED … ENGLISH LIBERTIES.”  Harkening back to his original subscription proposal, the printer called on “the FRIENDS of LIBERTY and USEFUL KNOWLEDGE” to purchase the book or, if they had already subscribed, “to call or send for their Books.”

As had been his practice with the various updates, Carter gave this announcement a privileged place as the first item in the first column on the first page the first time it appeared in the Providence Gazette.  It filled nearly the entire column, followed by a short legal notice.  News filled the remainder of the page, with the remainder of the advertisements running at the end of the issue.  Carter deliberately chose where his notice appeared.  Though subscribers had reserved copies in advance, the printer apparently produced surplus copies that he hoped to sell to those who had previously missed the opportunity to acquire the book.

To that end, his extensive advertisement included a lengthy list of the contents and an extract from the “short Preface … annexed to the fifth Edition, printed in the Year 1721.”  Like modern blurbs from trusted authorities, it outlined why readers should purchase the book, invoking the “favourable Reception which all the former Impressions of this Treatise of the Liberties of the Subjects of England have met with from the Public.”  In turn, the preface recommended that “by perusing this Treatise” readers could “deeply imprint in our own Minds the Laws and Rights that from Age to Age have been delivered down to us from our renown’d Forefathers.”  At the time, few colonizers advocated for independence from Britain; instead, they wished for redress of their grievances with Parliament.  That included enjoying the same rights in the colonies as English subjects possessed in England.  Both the book and its advertisement reinforced that rhetoric.

In a nota bene, Carter also informed prospective customers that “A Number of excellent Forms for Justices of the Peace … are inserted in this Edition.”  That provided a very practical reason for some colonizers to obtain copies.  In addition, the printer supplemented what had been included in earlier editions with “some Extracts from several late celebrated Writers on the British Constitution, which serve to illustrate and enforce the very important Doctrines advanced by the ingenious Author.”  Carter hoped that bonus content would help in marketing the book.

According to the subscription proposal, Carter originally sought five hundred subscribers.  In one update, he asserted that “Very few will be printed that are not subscribed for,” yet he produced enough additional copies to merit an elaborate advertisement that deployed multiple marketing strategies rather than publishing a brief notice that called on subscribers to collect their books.  He may have intended all along to print more than just a few copies “not subscribed for,” but wanted to create a sense of scarcity to encourage prospective subscribers to commit to the project.  He then reinvigorated his marketing campaign following publication of the book.

August 20

Carl Robert Keyes Daily Advert Update , , , , ,

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

Providence Gazette (August 20, 1774).

“Simpson’s Hard-Ware Store.”

As fall approached in 1774, a new advertisement in the Providence Gazette alerted the public that “Simpson’s Hard-Ware Store” had “Just opened” and offered a “large Assortment of Hard-Ware Goods” for “Wholesale only.”  Shopkeepers seeking to replenish their inventories could acquire merchandise there rather than place orders with merchants who would then import those goods.  The speed and convenience may have been especially attractive considering that many colonizers anticipated a general boycott on importing textiles, hardware, and all sorts of other items from England in response to the Coercive Acts passed by Parliament.  Delegates were already enroute to Philadelphia or arrived there to discuss a united response at what would become known as the First Continental Congress.

Simpson did not make explicit mention of politics, but doing so would not have been necessary for readers to understand the context in which he marketed his wares.  Several articles in the August 20 edition of the Providence Gazette provided coverage, in addition to the conversations, debates, and anxious musings taking place in private and public spaces throughout town.  Simpson instead focused on demonstrating the many choices he made available, just as his neighbor, Hill’s Variety Store, had done for many months.  His “Hard-Ware Store” stocked everything from “claw and shoe hammers” to “a good assortment of stock locks, cross ward and double spring locks” to Taylors, womens and sheep shears” to “a very good assortment of pewter dishes and plates,” far more than just hardware.  In addition to the items included in the extensive catalog in his advertisement, Simpson also carried “a number of other articles, too many to be here enumerated.”  If prospective customers could not find what they desired at Hill’s Variety Store they needed to check the shelves right next door at the hardware store.

A notation that read “(3 Mo.)” appeared at the end of Simpson’s advertisement, indicating that he intended for it to run for three months from its first insertion in the August 12 edition of the Providence Gazette.  He hoped to part with as much merchandise as possible by then, yet the anticipated longevity of his advertisement also testified to his confidence in its effectiveness.  After all, he would not have agreed to pay to run the notice so many times if he did not expect a return on his investment.  Perhaps he had been inspired by his neighbor, Hill, or even received advice from him after seeing his advertisement week after week for six months.

August 13

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

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

Providence Gazette (August 13, 1774).

“No. 6. The Imperial Lip-Salve (never made by any one before).”

When Philip Russel arrived in Rhode Island “from England,” he placed an advertisement in the Providence Gazette to advise the public that he “makes and sells” a variety of medicines to treat an array of ailments and potions for other purposes.  He enumerated and named each of them, along with giving a short description and price.  His medicines included “No. 4. His surprising excellent Tooth-Drops, which will immediately cure the Tooth-Ach the first Time of using; it will also cure the Scurvy in the Gums, and will preserve the Teeth from rotting. Price Half a Dollar a Bottle,” “No. 5. The Venetian Tooth-Powder, which in a few Times using makes them white and beautiful (although very foul and black before) and preserves those that are rotten and decayed from growing worse. Price Two Shillings a Bottle,” and “No 7. A most curious Eye Water, for cold Humours or Inflammations, which will be an effectual Cure in a few Days. Price Two Shillings a Bottle.”

Rather than addressing health and hygiene, three of Sabine’s products aided with cleaning and laundering: “No. 1 HIS famous Iron-Mould Drops, for taking Iron-Moulds and Ink-Spots out of Linen, Lawn, Muslin and Lace. Price One Shilling and Sixpence a Bottle,” “No. 2. A curious Composition for taking all Sorts of Stains, Pitch, Tar, &c. out of Cloth, Silk, Stuff or Worsted. Price One Shilling and Sixpence,” and “No. 3. A Tincture for taking any Stains out of Ma[h]agony, or any other Wood. Price One Shilling and Sixpence a Bottle.”

Including the prices helped prospective customers with comparison shopping when they considered purchasing similar products from other vendors.  Low or reasonable prices likely aided in stimulating interest in Russel’s wares among consumers unfamiliar with them, despite his assertion that some of his mixtures were “famous.”  Others were unique, such as “No. 6. The Imperial Lip-Salve (never made by any one before) which effectually takes away all Spots in the Face, makes the Skin beautiful, and cures the Lips when sore, in three or four Times rubbing.”  Knowing that this item cost “Half a Dollar a Box” might have convinced the curious to give it a try if they considered it a bargain.

In a nota bene, Sabine made three marketing appeals in quick succession: “Any Ladies or Gentlemen may, if they please, see Experiments of the above. – No Cure, no Pay. – Good Allowance to Shop Keepers who buy to sell again.”  The first two encouraged prospective customers that they had nothing to lose by visiting Sabine to learn more about his products.  He gave demonstrations so they could judge for themselves the effectiveness and value of his medicines and cleaning agents.  He also offered a moneyback guarantee, promising that customers did not have to pay if his medicines did not cure their maladies.  The final appeal presented a discount for purchasing by volume, a plan to pass along his products to retailers who then had an interest in marketing them on his behalf.  From start to finish, every word of Russel’s advertisement was calculated to persuade consumers rather than merely announce goods for sale.

August 6

Carl Robert Keyes Daily Advert Update , , , , ,

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

Providence Gazette (August 6, 1774).

“The Forgery being so gross, that the Author had not even the Precaution to spell my Name right.”

As readers flipped through the August 6, 1774, edition of the Providence Gazette, they encountered news and editorials on the first three pages, followed by advertisements in the final column on the third page and filling the entire final page.  The news and editorials included an “Address to the Citizens of New-York on the present critical Situation of Affairs … here inserted by Request” signed by “ANGLUS AMERICANUS,” a letter from London’s Morning Post addressed to Lord North, the prime minister, by “A SOLDIER,” and updates from Paris, London, Philadelphia, New York, and Boston.  The short section for news with the header “PROVIDENCE, August 6” relayed six items, including a note that “the Honourable JAMES BOWDOIN, Esq; of Boston, one of the Delegates appointed for the General Congress,” now known as the First Continental Congress, “passed through this Town” two days earlier “on a Journey Southward.”  Most of those items did not relate to local news at all; instead, they drew from reports received in Providence.  For instance, the final item mentioned “a provincial Meeting of Deputies, from the several Counties of Pennsylvania, … held at Philadelphia” with a promise to print the “Resolves and Proceedings” in the next issue.

Providence Gazette (August 6, 1774).

That did not mean that the Providence Gazette did not carry local news.  Indeed, the advertisements, including legal notices, kept readers updated about some of what was occurring in Providence and nearby towns.  In Johnston, Israel Mathewson, Jr., contended with a case of fraud and sought to warn the public against becoming victims of an unscrupulous forger.  He described a “negotiable promissory Note, for the Sum of Twenty-eight Pounds Thirteen Shillings, from me to one Joseph Aldrich.”  That instrument, Mathewson exclaimed, “is false and counterfeited, the Forgery being so gross, that the Author had not even the Precaution to spell my Name right.”  He cautioned others not to “unwarily” accept the note because “I am determined to prosecute for the Forgery, instead of paying the Contents.”  Reading that news among the advertisements in the Providence Gazette had the potential to prevent trouble and inconvenience.  In another notice, Elkanah Shearman of Glocester revealed discord within his household, asserting that his wife, Martha, then “living in Coventry, hath behaved herself in a Manner inconsistent with my Peace, injurious to my Interest, and against her Duty to me.”  He feared that she “will run me in Debt” as well as “diminish my Estate.”  Accordingly, he issued instructions that he would pay “any Debts of her contracting,” expecting merchants, shopkeepers, and other purveyors of goods and services to take note.  Furthermore, he threatened to prosecute for any “Spoil or Waste” on his land or even “Entry without my Leave.”  Martha did not possess any authority to grant access on behalf of her husband.  Her husband expected others to take note of this news.

Several other advertisements delivered local news to readers of the Providence Gazette.  Although John Carter, the printer, limited the amount of local news he selected to publish under the header “PROVIDENCE, August 6,” that did not mean that the newspaper did not contain news from nearby towns.  Advertisers placed notices for a variety of purposes, many of them delivering news in an alternate format.

July 30

Carl Robert Keyes Daily Advert Update , , , , ,

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

Providence Gazette (July 30, 1774).

“HORSEMANSHIP … The original American Rider.”

A couple of days before his performance, Christopher H. Gardner, who billed himself as the “original American Rider,” placed an advertisement in the Providence Gazette to encourage the public to attend and witness his feats of “HORSEMANSHIP.”  He declared that he “will perform all the Parts which were exhibited in America by the celebrated Mr. Bates,” invoking the equestrian who had achieved considerable celebrity in the colonies over the past couple of years following a career performing in Europe.  Bates had demonstrated feats that included tricks involving “One, Two, and Three HORSES” in Philadelphia, New York, Boston, and Newport, advertising in newspapers in each city as he moved from one to the next.  Gardner asserted that he possessed the same skill as Bates, so spectators would be amazed and delighted by what they witnessed.  According to “good Judges,” Gardner’s performance “fully equals, or rather exceeds, any thing of the Kind evert performed on this Continent.” Readers did not want to miss it!

To make sure that they did not, they needed to purchase tickets in advance.  Gardner made clear that “No Money will be taken at the Door …, nor any Persons admitted without Tickets.”  The audience could purchase tickets in advance at two locations in town, remaining on sale until the moment that show began.  Spectators could arrive early to claim their seats, with the doors opening an hour before Gardner mounted.  The equestrian encouraged readers of both sexes to attend, promising that the “Seats are suitable for Ladies and Gentlemen.”  Dogs, on the other hand, were prohibited, presumably to prevent spooking the horses.  Bates had previously banned dogs from his performances as well.

Gardner did not have the extensive experience performing for monarchs and nobles in European courts that Bates so often touted in his advertisements, yet he “expect[ed] to give entire Satisfaction” to “those Ladies and Gentlemen who will oblige him with their Company.”  He aimed to create some buzz in advance of his performance, giving the public an opportunity to see feats that rivaled those done by Bates, but they had to act quickly to acquire their tickets before the show began.  Garnder intended for a combination of curiosity and anticipation to drive audiences to his show.

July 9

Carl Robert Keyes Daily Advert Update , , , , ,

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

Providence Gazette (July 9, 1774).

“MAKES all Sorts of Gentlemens and Ladies Saddles, in the neatest and best Manner.”

John Sebring, a “Saddler and Cap-Maker, from London,” once again took to the pages of the Providence Gazette in the summer of 1774.  As had been his practice in the past, he deployed solely his last name as a headline for his advertisement, presumably believing that a mononym gave him greater cachet with prospective customers.  He declared that he “MAKES all Sorts of Gentlemens and Ladies Saddles, in the neatest and best Manner” as well as “all Sorts of Saddle Bags, Bridles, Holsters, Half Covers, Velvet Jockey-Caps,” and other items.  He intended for readers to associate quality with the name Sebring.

In addition to the mononym, Sebring apparently believed that his experience in London enhanced the image he presented to the public, though it had been some time since he resided and worked in that cosmopolitan center of the empire.  When they proclaimed that they were “from London,” artisans often linked those origins to superior training or more intimate knowledge of current styles or both.  Sebring did in his previous newspaper notices.  By the time he placed his advertisement in the July 9, 1774, edition of the Providence Gazette, however, he had been in that town for at least twenty months.  That may have caused him to place less emphasis on his supposed knowledge of London fashions.  In previous advertisements, he used the phrase “newest Fashion” to describe the saddles and other items he made in his workshop “At the White Horse, near the Great Bridge,” implying that his connections to London gave him insight into the latest styles there.  He even included the phrase twice in a notice he ran the previous summer.  In this advertisement, however, he focused on quality instead of (rather than in addition to) fashion.  Perhaps Sebring realized that many prospective customers knew he had not worked in London recently so his familiarity with the styles there came secondhand.  The training and experience he gained in London, however, did not change as time passed, making it worthwhile to continue to remind prospective customers of his origins.

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.

June 18

Carl Robert Keyes Daily Advert Update , , ,

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

Providence Gazette (June 18, 1774).

“Mrs. Phillips comes well recommended from several Gentlemen that have employed her in New-London.”

References upon request.  That was part of the marketing strategy deployed by Elizabeth Phillips when she relocated from New London to Providence.  Upon her arrival in Rhode Island, she placed an advertisement in the Providence Gazette to inform her new neighbors that she “PRoposes opening a School … for instructing young Ladies in reading English correctly, and doing all Kinds of Embroidery, and other Needle Work, in the newest Taste.”  Her curriculum also included “painting upon Gauze, in a very curious Manner, and [making] all Sorts of Pastry.”  Her pupils learned a variety of feminine arts.

The schoolmistress declared that she “will be greatly obliged to any that will employ her in this Way, and doubts not of giving entire Satisfaction to all that may please to favour her with the Instruction of their Daughters.”  Yet the newcomer realized that the public in Providence did not know her and lacked familiarity with her reputation for running a school. Phillips sought to counter that with a nota bene in which she claimed that she “comes well recommended from several Gentlemen that have employed her in New-London.”  Parents of prospective students did not have to take her word for it since “one of which is well known, and much esteemed, in this Town.”  Phillips did not reveal the identity of this gentleman in the public prints, but readers could learn more “by enquiring at the new Brick School-House.”  When they did, that gave the schoolmistress opportunities to share examples of the embroidery and painting she taught in addition to revealing who could speak on her behalf.  She likely supposed that engaging with the parents of prospective students in person would garner enrollments just as effectively as recommendations from previous employers, so offering references on request served as a means of initiating those interactions.