Artifact: Hair Comb
Materials: Tortoise
Dimensions: OL: 5 1/2" OW: 7"
Date: 1835
Origin: England or America
Collection: Image Courtesy of The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation
License: All rights reserved
Ledger Entry: Ivory Comb
Department: Accessories
Customer: Captain Lewis Ellzey
Ledger Page: 30
Imported From:
Product Description
Eighteenth-century combs might be ornately carved of wood, ivory, or even tortoise shells. The discovery of new animals and plants in the New World quickly led to new exotic materials as commodities. For example, artists imported tortoise shells to Jamaica, where they steamed the material into a flat surface for cutting and sculpting.
Citation: ;
Historical Price: 1 shilling, 4 pence; Modern USD: $15
Product Variations
The databases record twelve purchases of combs. Of these, nine are ivory and three are horn. Their prices range from three pence for a horn comb to one shilling four pence for an ivory comb.
