The Slop Shop and the Almshouse
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
THE SLOP SHOP AND THE ALMSHOUSE: READY-MADE MENSWEAR IN PHILADELPHIA, 1780-1820 by Tyler Rudd Putman A thesis submitted to the Faculty of the University of Delaware in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in American Material Culture Spring 2010 Copyright 2011 Tyler Rudd Putman All Rights Reserved THE SLOP SHOP AND THE ALMSHOUSE: READY-MADE MENSWEAR IN PHILADELPHIA, 1780-1820 by Tyler Rudd Putman Approved: __________________________________________________________ Linda Eaton, M.A. Professor in charge of thesis on behalf of the Advisory Committee Approved: __________________________________________________________ J. Ritchie Garrison, Ph.D. Director of the Winterthur Program in American Material Culture Approved: __________________________________________________________ George H. Watson, Ph.D. Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences Approved: __________________________________________________________ Charles G. Riordan, Ph.D. Vice Provost for Graduate and Professional Education ACKNOWLEDGMENTS In the summer of 2009, I arrived at Winterthur fresh from several years studying historical archaeology. It is perhaps a bit ironic that, surrounded by innumerable beautiful, wondrous things, I settled on a decidedly less glamorous sort of object: dirty old clothing. But there is also a beauty in these things too, because when we see even the most common objects in a new light, we are enlightened by the past. And that is what Winterthur has given me, a profound understanding that things mean much more than their aesthetics, that by looking at objects we can reach out and touch the people of the past. For that I am especially grateful to the incredible mentorship I have received here. I owe an unredeemable debt to J. Ritchie Garrison, Sandy Manno, Wendy Bellion, Brock Jobe, Rosemary Krill, and Greg Landrey for their encouragement and insights. The staff of the Winterthur Library is second to none and provided unwavering support and assistance; I especially thank Jeannie Solensky, Helena Richardson, and Emily Guthrie. The indomitable Linda Eaton served as my thesis advisor and helped me produce something both nuanced and grounded while also reminding me that “it isn‟t a book.” I benefitted from the assistance and intellectual generosity of many individuals but will name only a few here, in no special order: Dr. Miles Lambert, Manchester City Galleries; Matthew Brenckle, USS Constitution Museum; Dr. Rebecca Yamin, John Milner Associates, Inc.; Andrea Cakars and Ellen Endslow, Chester County Historical Society; Betsy Solomon, Germantown Historical Society; Laura Johnson, Historic New England; Jennifer Hamilton, Parks Canada; Mike iii Connolly, New Castle Historical Society; Carol Kregloh, Smithsonian Museum of American History; Dr. Harold D. Langley, curator emeritus of naval history at the Smithsonian Institution; Hilary Davidson, Museum of London; scholar and collector Mary Doering; and Craig Nannos and Bruce Bazelon, military historians of the finest quality. Chuck Fithian, Curator of Archaeology at the Delaware Division of Historical and Cultural Affairs, supervised my work on the textile artifacts from HMS De Braak with rare enthusiasm. Heather Hansen (WPAMC 2010) offered her knowledge of period knitting techniques. Michael McCarty and Katie Jacobs share my passion for reproducing historic costumes. So too does Gwendolyn Basala, whose incredible illustrations in this thesis bring the wardrobes of the lower sort to life. To these many individuals I offer my heartfelt thanks. I am also grateful to the many people unknown to me who have worked and are working to digitize historical source material, particularly those associated with “America‟s Historical Newspapers” and “Internet Archive.” My discoveries of many of the hidden traces of slops-sellers would have been much more difficult without their efforts. My experience at Winterthur over the last two years was incalculably enriched by the fellowship of my classmates. If I could thanks each of them for only one thing, it would be these: Erin for sharing my enthusiasm for broken pieces of old trash; Hannah for showing me how to use the Google search bar; Nalleli for her irrepressible humor and kindness; Leah for sharing experiences in public engagement; Sarah for her encyclopedic knowledge of religious symbolism and pop culture; Louisa for her scones and sharing my Midwestern outlook; and Tim for commiserating and iv reflecting as we recovered from long days on our many class trips. I am incredibly honored to call you my colleagues, and lucky beyond measure to call you my friends. I owe much to my family for supporting my long-standing fascination with the past. My grandparents, parents, and brother have by turns inspired and patiently tolerated my enthusiasm for history and old things. Finally, I dedicate this thesis to Nicole Belolan, who has known it since the very first draft of my prospectus and saw it all the way through to the end. Thanks for asking me if I wanted to get coffee. v TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF FIGURES ..................................................................................................... viii ABSTRACT ................................................................................................................... x Chapter 1 INTRODUCTION .............................................................................................. 1 The Lower Sort of Philadelphia: An Historiographical View .......................... 12 Common Dress in Social History ..................................................................... 21 Common Dress in Costume History ................................................................. 26 2 A WORLD OF WORK: SLOP SHOPS ........................................................... 36 The Stock of Slop Shops .................................................................................. 43 Wearing Slops: A Wardrobe for the Working Man ......................................... 62 Making Slops .................................................................................................... 67 Slops-sellers ...................................................................................................... 72 The Appearance of Slop Shops ........................................................................ 84 Selling Slops ..................................................................................................... 95 The Rise of the Merchant Tailor .................................................................... 100 3 A WORLD OF ALMS: CLOTHING IN THE PHILADELPHIA ALMSHOUSE ................................................................................................ 108 Shoes for the Poor .......................................................................................... 112 Weaving in the Almshouse ............................................................................. 119 Clothing Production in the Almshouse ........................................................... 120 Clothing Repair .............................................................................................. 127 Providing Clothing to Almshouse Residents .................................................. 131 Almshouse Inmate Wardrobes ....................................................................... 140 4 CONCLUSION .............................................................................................. 149 vi Appendix A Philadelphia Tailor and Seamstress Locations in 1800 .................................. 151 B Inventory of John Waters, 1805 ..................................................................... 162 C Inventories of John Antrim, 1818 ................................................................... 164 D John Purdon‟s Advertisement, 1792 ............................................................... 169 BIBLIOGRAPHY ...................................................................................................... 173 Printed Sources ............................................................................................... 173 City Directories Cited (chronological) ........................................................... 184 Manuscript Materials ...................................................................................... 187 IMAGE PERMISSIONS ............................................................................................ 188 vii LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1: The lower sort in William Birch's The city of Philadelphia ................... 13 Figure 2: John Lewis Krimmel, Election Day, 1815, ca. 1816 .............................. 17 Figure 3a: Set of sailor‟s slops ................................................................................ 38 Figure 3b: Shirt and petticoat breeches .................................................................... 39 Figure 4: British satire by Thomas Rowlandson ................................................... 41 Figure 5: Frame-knit stocking from the 1798 wreck of HMS De Braak ............... 49 Figure 6: Waistcoat fragments from the 1798 wreck of HMS De Braak .............. 56 Figure 7a: Man‟s linen breeches .............................................................................. 58 Figure 7b: Details of breeches construction............................................................. 59 Figure 8: Boy‟s coat with detail of skirt pocket ..................................................... 61 Figure 9: Illustration of a sailor ............................................................................