"Consigned to the account and risk of John Innes Clark" : networks, trade, & a merchant in Providence, Rhode Island, 1768-1808
Date
2012
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Publisher
University of Delaware
Abstract
Kinship shapedthe material world of Providence, Rhode Islandin complex ways. The city was an entrepôt for the rural hinterland of central Massachusetts, a local culture of sophisticated taste and reach, and a node in the exchanges of the Atlantic World. Consequently, local and regional habits competed and collaborated with relationships that were personal, tactical, and often circumstantial. Based on several primary sources including John Innes Clark's invoice book(1801 to 1808), his 1808 will and the probate inventory of his estate, family letters, deeds recorded in the City of Providence, newspaper articles and advertisements, and port records kept by the United States Customs House, this study reconstructs the business, social, and kinship ties that guided Clark's life between 1768 and 1808. John Innes Clark's home and business is a reminder of the constant interactionsof business, design, and decorative arts. The Clarks' house and its furnishings are an essential part of how their lives intersected with the history of Providence. The home materialized the family’s influence, social reach, and knowledge of the Atlantic world. In examining a single merchant in Providence, the wider social, economic, and cultural implications of the Atlantic World are illustrated in terms of the interactions among people and the movement of objects. Although New England and the maritime trade of the region have been studied, the examination of John Innes Clark’s life and business reveals a complex system of exchange and communication of goods, style, and design.