To Thomas Jefferson from Caldcleugh & Thomas, 23 October 1804
From Caldcleugh & Thomas
Philadelphia Oct. 23. 1804
Sir
When Mr. Claxton was in this City some time ago, he requested us to order from London for your use, six patent Lamps of a particular form & color; he also requested us to inform you of their arrival, in order that you might direct their destination—the Ship Active arrived yesterday & the Lamps conformable to order are in her, they will be landed in the course of a few days & if you will be pleased to give us the necessary directions they shall be forwarded immediately after they are opened—we take the liberty of mentioning that by the same Vessel we have received a number of mantle piece fountain Lamps, of which Kind Mr Claxton informed us you would probably be in want;—should this be the case we will forward with the other Lamps the nearest your directions as to form or pattern that we may have, which if not approved of can be returned—
We are Sir With respect Yr. obdt. Servts.
Caldcleugh & Thomas
RC (MHi); at foot of text: “His Excellency Thomas Jefferson Esquire”; endorsed by TJ as received 25 Oct. and so recorded in SJL.
Caldcleugh & Thomas were stationers and paper hanging factors with stores on Baltimore Street in Baltimore and Chestnut Street in Philadelphia. They regularly advertised for sale a wide variety of imported merchandise, including blank books, globes, maps, portable desks, cutlery, patent lamps, ornamental candlesticks, and chandeliers. They also “made and sold” Abraham Bradley’s 1804 postal map of the United States (Poulson’s American Daily Advertiser, 12 Nov.; James Robinson, The Baltimore Directory, for 1804 [Baltimore, 1804], 4; Robinson, The Philadelphia Directory, for 1807 [Philadelphia, 1807], n.p.; Federal Gazette & Baltimore Daily Advertiser, 25 May 1801; Relfs Philadelphia Gazette, 5 May, 2 Oct. 1804; Vol. 41:267-8).
In 1801, Thomas Claxton tried to obtain four brass patent lamps for the president’s drawing room, as well as “green semi vase lamps” (Vol. 34:135, 194).
The firm advertised “Elegant new Patent Lamps” and other items of “very elegant and entire new patterns” newly arrived on the ship Active from London (Relfs Philadelphia Gazette, 22 Oct.).