Artifact: Green Silk Ribbon
Materials: Silk
Dimensions: L: 2'5"; W: 2"
Date: 1700-1900
Origin: England (Possibly)
Collection: Image Courtesy of The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation
License: All rights reserved
Ledger Entry: Ribbon
Department: Sewing
Customer: Charles Mason
Ledger Page: 29
Imported From:
Product Description
Ribbons had many uses and meanings in the eighteenth century and were purchased by both women and men of varying social status. As accessories they could be used to trim a new dress, revitalize an old dress, adorn ones hair, decorate ones hat, or wear as a necklace. Practically, they were used to tie aprons, bonnets, and breeches; fasten purses and pocketbooks; or hang objects on the wall. Symbolically, men exchanged ribbons with women as part of a courtship ritual indicating desire.
Citation: Ann Smart Martin. "Ribbons of Desire: Gendered Stories in the World of Goods," in Gender, Taste, and Material in Britain in America in the Long Eighteenth-century, (New Haven: Yale University Press, 2006.), 181-187;
Historical Price: 7.5 pence for a half yard; Modern USD: $7.47
Product Variations
The databases record seventeen purchases of ribbon. Qualifiers include ribbon No. 1-7, lace, satin, black, and love ribbons. Twelve of the seventeen purchases were made by men. Ribbon was sold by the yard and the prices range from six pence to twelve pence.
