Sign of the Buck

January 2

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

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

Pennsylvania Evening Post (January 2, 1776).

“PRINTING In ENGLISH, GERMAN, and other Languages.”

In late December 1775 and early January 1776, Melchior Steiner and Charles Cist placed advertisements for “PRINTING In ENGLISH, GERMAN, and other Languages” in several newspapers published in Philadelphia.  Having acquired a “general assortment of new and elegant TYPES, and other Printing Materials,” they opened an office “where they intend carrying on the PRINTING BUSINESS in all its different branches, with care, fidelity, and expedition.”  Both partners had been born in Europe and migrated to Philadelphia, as Isaiah Thomas explained in his History of Printing in America (1810).  Steiner, born in Switzerland, served an apprenticeship with Henry Miller, the printer of the Henrich Millers Pennsylvanischer Staatsbote (formerly Der Wochentliche Philadelphische Staatsbote and Der Wochentliche Pennsylvanische Staatsbote).  Cist, an apothecary born in St. Petersburg, Russia, came to the colonies in 1769, worked for Miller as a translator of English into German, and “by continuing in the employment of Miller several years he acquired a considerable knowledge of printing.”[1]

Steiner and Cist, according to Thomas, “executed book and job work, in both the German and English languages,” the “different branches” of printing that they advertised in their notice.  They competed with other local printers, especially Miller.  Their former associate also took orders for job printing in both languages and annually published an almanac in German.  The masthead of the Pennsylvanischer Staatsbote indicated that “All ADVERTISEMENTS to be inserted in this Paper, or printed single by HENRY MILLER, Publisher hereof, are by him translated gratis.”  Thomas reported, “Not long after the commencement of the revolutionary war, [Steiner and Cist] published a newspaper in the German language; but, for want of sufficient encouragement, it was discontinued in April, 1776.”[2]  The venerable printer appears to have been misinformed on that point.  Clarence S. Brigham does not attribute any newspaper published in 1775 or 1776 to Steiner and Cist, but he does list another newspaper that Thomas credited to the partners, the Philadelpisches Staatsregister, published during the war from 1779 to 1781.[3]  Even if they considered launching a newspaper eventually, the new partners sought to establish a printing office with a reputation for “giv[ing] satisfaction to those who may be pleased to employ them” for job printing.  As they surveyed the local and regional landscape, they may have determined that Henrich Millers Pennsylvanischer Staatsbote and the Germantowner Zeitung already met the needs of colonizers who spoke German and the market would not support another newspaper.  That they operated their printing office in Philadelphia throughout most of the war, leaving temporarily during the British occupation of the city, testifies to the multilingual origins of the new nation.  English was the language spoken (and printed) most prevalently in the thirteen colonies that declared independence, but certainly not exclusively during the era of the American Revolution.

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[1] Isaiah Thomas, The History of Printing in America: With a Biography of Printers and an Account of Newspapers (1810; Weathervane Books, 1970), 404.

[2] Thomas, History of Printing, 404.

[3] Clarence S. Brigham, History and Bibliography of American Newspapers, 1690-1820 (American Antiquarian Society, 1947), 1392, 1487.

June 3

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

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

Maryland Gazette (June 3, 1773).

“He hath opened an inn and tavern, at the sign of the Fountain … in Market-street, Baltimore.”

As summer arrived in 1773, Daniel Grant opened a new inn and tavern in Baltimore.  To attract patrons, he inserted advertisements in the Maryland Gazette, published in Annapolis, and the Pennsylvania Packet, published in Philadelphia, to supplement word-of-mouth news of his establishment in Baltimore.  That city did not yet have its own newspaper, though William Goddard had recently opened a printing office there and distributed subscription proposals for the Maryland Journal.  Even if Grant could have advertised in a local newspaper, it benefited him to alert colonizers throughout the regions served by the Maryland Gazette and the Pennsylvania Packet that they could avail themselves of his services if they had occasion to travel to Baltimore.  Besides, those newspapers were the local newspapers, at least for another few months until Goddard commenced publication of the Maryland Journal near the end of August.

As part of his marketing efforts, Grant emphasized his experience running a tavern “at the sign of the Buck, near Philadelphia.”  He extended “his most grateful thanks to the gentlemen who did mum the honour to frequent his former house.”  In addition, he declared that “it shall ever be his study to please” and “he hopes for a continuance of their favours” when they visited Baltimore.  Such sentiments communicated to those who had not previously visited the tavern “at the sign of the Buck” that Grant had successfully cultivated a clientele and would offer the same quality of service to patrons at the inn and tavern “at the sign of the Fountain … in Market-street, Baltimore.”  He pledged that “those who choose to favour him with their custom, may be assured of his best endeavours to merit their approbation.”  To that end, he promoted the “late and commodious house” that he converted into an inn and tavern and asserted that he “hath provided everything for the accommodation of gentlemen, their servants, and horses, in the best manner.”  Apparently, Grant also operated a stable or made arrangements with a nearby associate to provide hosteling services.  Whatever their needs and desires, Grant promised prospective patrons a pleasant stay at his inn and tavern.

July 6

Carl Robert Keyes Daily Advert Update , , , ,

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

Jul 6 - 7:6:1769 Pennsylvania Gazette
Pennsylvania Gazette (July 6, 1769).

“DANIEL GRANT … HAS now opened a HOUSE of ENTERTAINMENT.”

A nascent hospitality and tourism industry emerged in America in the late eighteenth century. Its expansion occurred, in part, as a result of advertisements that encouraged consumers to partake in a variety of leisure activities at venues in their own towns and in places located some distance away. On July 6, 1769, Samuel Francis (better known today as Samuel Fraunces) inserted advertisements in the New-York Chronicle and the New-York Journal to invite visitors to Vauxhall Gardens to enjoy coffee, tea, and pastries “at any Hour in the Day,” evening concerts, a ballroom for parties, “Dinners or Suppers dressed in the most elegant Manner,” and, of course, the gardens “fitted up in a very genteel, pleasing Manner.” Advertisements for Vauxhall Gardens became a familiar sight in New York’s newspapers in the late 1760s.

On the same day, Daniel Grant advertised his own “HOUSE of ENTERTAINMENT, at the Sign of the Buck” in Moyamensing on the outskirts of Philadelphia. Grant first presented his credentials for opening his own establishment, asserting that he worked for seven years as “a Bar-keeper to Mr. John Biddle, at the Indian King.” He had gained the requisite experience to launch his own enterprise. Grant offered many of the same amenities at the Buck as Francis did at Vauxhall Gardens. The spacious house had three rooms on each floor as well as “a large hall in each story.” In addition to those accommodations, guests could also enjoy the gardens and “summer-houses” that, in particular, made the Buck “an agreeable place to resort in the summer season.” Grant served “the best tea, chocolate, [and] coffee” for breakfast and in the afternoon, but he also had on hand “the best liquors of all kinds.” He invited prospective customers to plan parties or “large entertainments” at his venue, assuring them that events could be arranged “by giving short notice.” As was the case for anyone working in hospitality, service was a cornerstone for Grant’s business. He pledged to “make it his constant endeavour to give the best attendance to those who please to favour him with their company.” Accommodations, amenities, and service: Grant offered a complete experience to guests at his “HOUSE of ENTERTAINMENT.”

Today, many Americans are celebrating the Independence Day weekend with excursions to all sorts of venues that are part of the modern hospitality and tourism industry. Advertising plays a significant role in enticing guests to partake in leisure activities, encouraging them to purchase experiences rather than things. That strategy has origins that date back to a time before Americans declared independence. Entrepreneurs like Grant and Francis promoted themselves as purveyors of entertainment and leisure activities as they welcomed guests to venues like the Buck and Vauxhall Gardens in the eighteenth century.