The cap of a cylindrical etui might separate into a spyglass.Īll these "toys," as they were called, kept early manufacturers busy, especially in the British metal-working capital of Birmingham. Many offered a tool set handy for travelers: a tiny knife, two-pronged fork, and snuff spoon scissors, tweezers, a razor, and an earwax scraper a pencil holder and pen nib perhaps a ruler or bodkin. It could hold surgeon's tools or tiny perfume bottles. An etui might contain drawing instruments-a compass, ruler, pencil, and set of pen nibs. Today's crossword puzzle clues often describe etuis as sewing or needle cases, but that was only one of many varieties. The lid opens up to reveal an assortment of miniature tools, each fitting into an appropriately shaped slot.
The coolest of all pocket gadgets were what antiquarians call etuis and Smith referred to as "tweezer cases." A typical 18th century etui looks like a slightly oversized cigarette lighter covered in shagreen, a textured rawhide made from shark or ray skin. (Not content with a single sheet, Thomas Jefferson carried ivory pocket notebooks.) He could improve his observations with a pocket tripod or camera obscura and could pencil notes in a pocket diary or on an erasable sheet of ivory. He could gaze through a pocket telescope and then, with a few twists, convert it into a mini-microscope. The scientifically inclined might carry a simple microscope, known as a flea glass, to examine flowers and insects while strolling through gardens or fields.
At a coffeehouse, a gentleman might pull out a silver nutmeg grater to add spice to his drink or a pocket globe to make a geographical point. A favorite target for pickpockets, "watches were consistently the most valuable item of apparel stolen from working men in the eighteenth century," writes historian John Styles, who analyzed records from several English jurisdictions.īut timepieces were hardly the only gizmos stuffing 18th century pockets, especially among the well-to-do. Laborers could buy watches secondhand and pawn them when they needed cash. "It had been the pride of my life, ever since pride commenced, to wear a watch," wrote a journeyman stocking maker about acquiring his first in 1747. Contemporary art depicts not just affluent people but sailors and farm workers sporting watch chains.
A pocket timepiece was an 18th century man's must-have fashion accessory, its presence indicated by a ribbon or bright steel chain hanging from the owner's waist, bedecked with seals and a watch key. Their popularity inspired one of the most paradoxical, charming, and insightful passages in his work. Pocket gadgets were all the rage in Adam Smith's day.
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