Coldengham, New York
Store of Cadwallader Colden, Jr.
Spectacles
April 24th was a Sunday, 250 years ago. The store was normally closed on Sundays, but the DayBook records three visitors on the 24th. I think this was probably an error, and that these sales were actually made on the 23rd. The date on one of the three entrees was altered (either from 23 to 24 or vice versa). The entry following this one has no date (assumed to be the 24th) and the subsequent entry is clearly marked as the 25th.
At any rate, it would not be the first time the clerks (or Colden) were confused with the current date.
The six items that were purchased on this date, 250 years ago, were all items discussed in detail in prior blogs, so this blog is dedicated to an item that was sold the following Monday to Duncan Campbell (relationship to the author, if any, is unknown): Spectacles.
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| Spectacles dated 1793. Image courtesy of Wellcome Trust. |
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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.
Eyewear was a common sight by the 18th century. Both 'nose' or 'bridge' spectacles (with no sides) and the more modern spectacles with 'sides' were available. Even bifocals had been introduced by the 1760s.
The increasing availability of reading material (such as newspapers, almanacs, and bibles) made spectacles a necessity for much of the population.
This sale of spectacles to Duncan Campbell is only the second discovered so far in the DayBook.
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