Wednesday February 17, 1768
Coldengham, New York
Store of Cadwallader Colden, Jr.
Handkerchiefs
250 years ago today, both Jacob Millspaugh and the wife of John Tarpening purchased handkerchiefs. Over the prior six months, the store had sold almost 130 handkerchiefs!
Search the DayBook
This article is one in a series of a daily accountings of Colden Store transactions. Be sure you read the first installment for an introduction to the store. You should also read this article which appeared in the Journal of the Orange County Historical Society.
The simple square of fabric known as a handkerchief was apparently a very well-used item in households around the Colden Store. They were made from many materials including cotton, silk, linen, and gauze. The prices varied from ten shillings for silk to two and a half for cotton.
A price of ten shillings, about two days labor, indicates that some handkerchiefs were more than utilitarian, but a luxury or status item.
The word 'kerchief' stems from two french words: 'cover' and 'head'. You probably remember the line from the Night Before Christmas...'Ma in her kerchief.' The fabric square was historically used as a head cover. By the 16th century the fabric squares were being used for wiping the forehead, face or nose and the prefix 'hand' was added.
The high number of handkerchiefs purchased at the Colden store indicates either their popularity (if it was a fashion statement) but more likely the heavy use made of these small squares of cloth in the daily life of the people near Coldengham.
===================
Search the DayBook
No comments:
Post a Comment