Coldengham, New York
Store of Cadwallader Colden, Jr.
Combs
Monday, 250 years ago today, was an average day at the Colden store. Twelve people made 43 purchases at the store.
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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.
William Strickland bought ten items, one of which was a comb. In the prior five months, Colden had sold 40 combs. Sometimes they were described as 'fine combs' or as 'horn combs.' A comb or fine comb usually sold for about two shillings. The horn comb was about a quarter of that price.
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| Image courtesy of Colonial Quills blog. Go here for an excellent article on Combs and Brushes. |
The comb had many possible uses including personal hair dressing and adornment, animal care, and wool preparation.
The combs were likely imported. Their manufacture required high skill and special tools. The fine combs were likely made from ivory or tortoise shell. The horn combs were made from the horns of oxen.
Randle Holme [2000] describes the manufacture of horn combs starting from the horn itself, 'sawing [it] into it lengths' and 'Pressing [it] by heat to open and streighten' it to make HORN PLATE. Thereafter followed no less than twelve more steps including scoring both the size of the comb and a line to show how far the teeth were to be sawed in, 'Dantaching' or sawing the teeth, 'Grailing' or cleaning the teeth, 'Priting' or 'making of the ends of the teeth three square', 'Rounding', Redishing' and 'Polishing', and finally 'Sorting and binding them up by dozens in papers.' [http://www.british-history.ac.uk]
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