LAWN! June 27, 1768 at the Colden Store, Coldengham, New York

Monday, June 27, 1768
Coldengham, New York
Store of Cadwallader Colden, Jr.

Lawn

Samuel DeGrote Jr. purchased one-quarter yard of the expensive Lawn fabric (12 shillings per yard)  at the Colden Store on this day, 250 years-ago. He also bought pins, tape, and thread, tea, rum, salt, and a scythe. In addition, he picked up snuff and pipes for James Daily. DeGrote was one of fifteen persons in the store on this day. The store sold 35 items.

Collar made of Whitework Lawn and Bobbin Lace ca. 1830-1869. Image courtesy of Victoria and Albert Museum.

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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.

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I described 'Lawn' back in a February 22, 2018 blog, but now that more of the DayBook has been transcribed, it is time for an update.

Lawn is defined in Webster's 1828 dictionary as "A sort of fine linen. Its use in the sleeves of bishops, explains the following line. -A saint in crape is twice a saint in lawn-."  Lawn at the Colden store was twelve times the price of "Osenbrigs" [Osnaburg]. Caulfeild's 1882 Dictionary of Needlework describes Lawn as "a delicate linen .. used for making of shirts, handkerchiefs, ruffles, and ruffs....resembles cambric, but thinner and finer." p321

Colden sold Lawn on at least 50 occasions and typically in very small yardages.  His customers made 9 puchases of 1/8 yard, 28 purchases of 1/4 yard, 3 of 1/2 yard, and only 10 for more than 1/2 yard.  Does this mean that most of the use was in making handkerchiefs?

Entries for 'Lawn' in the Colden DayBook never contained additional descriptors.  However, in the Ramsay Ledgers (a Virginia Store in the prior decade), 'Lawn' was described as 'plain, flowered, striped, and numbered.' The Lawn at the Ramsay store had a wider variation in price (2 to 8 shillings per yard), indicating variations in quality (thread count?). Colden's price for Lawn varied from 9 to 16 shillings per yard.

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