What was advertised in a colonial American newspaper 250 years ago today?
“Exhibiting his Art of Dexterity of Hand.”
As 1770 came to an end and 1771 began, William Patridge, an itinerant performer, took to the pages of the New-York Gazette and Weekly Mercury to inform residents of the busy urban port that he provided entertainments for “every admirer of REAL CURIOSITIES.” Patridge rented “a large and commodious room … fitted up in a genteel Manner” for giving performances on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays.
His show consisted of several acts, including “Dexterity of Hand,” “Mr. Punch and his merry Family,” and an “Italian Shade.” Patridge included additional details about each in his efforts to entice audiences to attend his performances. He described his “Italian Shade,” mostly likely some sort of illumination, as “so much admired in Europe.” Audiences on the other side of the Atlantic had been impressed and delighted by this portion of his show, Patridge seemed to suggest, so residents of New York would not want to miss such an acclaimed exhibition. The portion of the evening devoted to “Mr. Punch and his merry Family” presumably involved a puppet show. Patridge incorporated “new Alterations every Evening,” making each performance different from any other. Members of the audience who attended more than one performance would experience something new each time. When it came to the “Art of Dexterity of Hand,” Patridge declared that he practiced “a new Method different from other Performers.” Even if readers had seen Hyman Saunders perform when he spent several weeks in New York in November, they supposedly had not seen anything like Patridge’s sleight of hand.
Patridge also saw to the comfort of his audience. In addition. To selecting a “commodious room … fitted up in a genteel Manner,” he also pledged that he had “taken proper Care to have the Room well aired” for those who saw his show. He offered “all Accommodations,” though he did not go into greater detail. He likely expected that residents of the city would already be familiar with “Mr. Mc. Dougall’s” establishment “at the sign of Lord John Murray, in Orange-street, Golden-Hill.” For those “Gentlemen and Ladies” who did not wish to mix with crowd at one of Patridge’s performances at that location, he also gave private performances in their homes, provided that they gave “timely Notice.” Patridge hinted at a higher level of refinement and status; rather than attending a performance, those “Gentlemen and Ladies” could have a performer attend on them.
Eighteenth-century newspaper advertisements reveal a variety of entertainments and amusements available to colonial consumers, a range of popular culture options available to them. Itinerant performers depended on those advertisements to make the public aware when they arrived in town and what kinds of diversions they offered. Although Patridge did not do so, many also declared that they would be in town for only a short time, attempting to incite greater demand by making their performances scarce commodities. Still, Patridge did not merely announce his presence in New York. Instead, he resorted to other kinds of appeals to attract audiences for his shows.