I chose to sample a range of dates from the beginning of the 19th century, spanning the years 1800-1820, because it was relatively close to the latest year in the sample I had for the 18th century, yet with enough distance to see the rapidness of change in connotation. In this sample collection I focused less on the representation of forms and more on this change in connotation. I noticed that although all of the uses of cheap held consistent meanings to past centuries there was a distinct use of cheap in referring to items that were worth more to impoverished people. Perhaps the best example of this is from Hannah More's writing, in which she tells the tale of a woman that convinces wealthy parish members to only buy more expensive meat so to leave the cheap meat for the poor. Nowadays we see cheap as a description for something or someone with little value or of unfavorable qualities. The development of cheap in the 19th century referencing to inexpensive commodities for a lower standard of society is a likely predecessor of the negativity associated with the meanings of today.
Author |
Title |
Date |
Pub. Place |
Passage |
Image/Page Number |
Definition |
Anon. |
"A New and Cheap Paint" The Medical Repository |
1804 |
New York, NY, United States |
"A new, cheap, and lasting paint has been lately invented and successfully applied
to gates, rails, and palisadoes...Two coats are to be laid on with a painter's brush;
the expense of which will be about a half-penny a square yard."
|
i.116 |
Bearing a low price in proportion to its intrinsic value; of good value in proportion
to its price; well worth the price. (adjective)
|
Anon. |
"A Cheap and Excellent Wine" The Medical and Agricultural Register |
1806 |
Boston, MA, United States |
"A cheap and excellent Wine...At the end of six or eight weeks, you will have a liquor,
which will not cost more than about twenty-five cents by the gallon, possessing much
the taste and sensible qualities of wine, and inferior hardly to none."
|
i.14 |
Bearing a low price in proportion to its intrinsic value; of good value in proportion
to its price; well worth the price. (adjective)
|
Anon. |
"Ornamental Hair" La Belle Assemblee |
1807 |
London, United Kingdom |
"For lightness, elegance, and ease, they are unparalleled; fifty percent cheaper than
any other house in London; and, for the variety, he can display thousands of tints
and shapes, appropriately to heighten the loveliness of youth, or veil the deficiencies
of age."
|
i.7 p.72 |
(Applied to the price itself, the place where a commodity is sold, etc.) cheap fare:
a fare at a lower rate than the ordinary fare; also cheap rate; also attrib. (adjective)
|
Anon. |
"Miscellaneous" The Lady's Weekly Miscellany |
1810 |
New York, NY, United States |
"The ornament of Sobriety which comes next to be considered, is by no means a cheap
one. But though it be purchased with difficulty, it is lost with ease. To preserve
it will require the unremitted exercise of prudence, vigilance, and severe circumspection..."
|
i.4 p.388 |
Involving little trouble and hence of little worth; worthless, paltry. (adjective) |
Anon. |
"Recent Publications" The New York Medical Inquirer |
1810 |
New York, NY, United States |
"A late discovery extremely interesting to Planters and Farmers, relative to fertilizing
poor and exhausted ground, upon a cheap and easy plan, with some remarks and observations
on Orcharding and Gardening."
|
i.146 p.144 |
Costing little labour, trouble, effort, etc.; easily obtained. (adjective) |
More, Hannah |
The Works of Hannah More |
1813 |
Philadelphia, PA, United States |
"the poor would get the coarse pieces of meat cheaper, if the the gentle-folks did
not buy them for soups and gravy. Mrs Jones thought there was reason in this: so away
she went to...the only persons in the parish who could afford to buy these costly
things. She told them, that if they would all be so good as to buy only prime pieces,
which they could very well afford, the coarse and cheap joints would come more within
the reach of the poor."
|
i.171 p.173 |
That may be bought at small cost; bearing a relatively low price; inexpensive. Opposed
to dear. (adjective)
|
Anon. |
"The Avowed Object of Some of the Reformers of the Present Day" The Briton |
1819 |
London, United Kingdom |
"The avowed object of some of the Reformers of the present day is the establishment
of Atheism or Deism; and the tendency of many of their cheap publications is to ridicule
religion and to bring the Bible into contempt. The number of Deistical publications,
and the industry with which they are disseminated, must astonish every person; and
the probable effects of the perusal of them, must fill every friend of religion with
alarm."
|
i.1 |
Accounted of small value, made little of, lightly esteemed; esp. brought into contempt
through being made too familiar. (adjective)
|
Anon. |
Papers Relating to Queen Caroline. |
1820 |
London, United Kingdom |
"Court publications of yesterday, furnish us with the names and abodes of half-a-dozen
little knots of address-makers, most of which were already public. With those who
have no doubts to satisfy - no differences to trouble them, nor opinions to form,
but whose task is simply to obey the injunctions of a master - addresses are as cheap
as Christmas pies. It is only to set a single puppet going, and the rest will dance
to the same wire. But it really would puzzle any novice to make out the drift of what
are nicknamed 'Loyal addresses'."
|
i.175 |
Accounted of small value, made little of, lightly esteemed; esp. brought into contempt
through being made too familiar. (adjective)
|
Latham, John |
"On the Medicinal Properties of the Solanum Tuberosum, or Potato Plant" The Medico-Chirurgical Review, and Journal of Medical Science |
1820 |
New York, NY, United States |
"We have many medicines, but few remedies. Of the former, many are expensive exotics,
as opium for example; and therefore it would be exceedingly desirable, both in point
of economy, and to check the inducements towards adulteration, if substitutes, of
easy access and cheap materials, could be procured. This is leaving out of the question
the chance or hope of discovering useful properties in the new articles investigated."
|
i.64 p.400 |
That may be bought at small cost; bearing a relatively low price; inexpensive. Opposed
to dear. (adjective)
|
Lady Humdrum, pseud. |
Domestic scenes: A Novel |
1820 |
London, United Kingdom |
"The return of Henry from the Priory entirely relieved Emily's anxieties respecting
its inmates; nor could she help being amused with Katty's reliance on the efficacy
of her P.S.; and still greater amusement did she afterwards, very contrary to her
intention, afford her invalid, when in her zeal for the school, and ignorance of
lacalities, she imparted the commission for cheap flannel."
|
i.5 |
That may be bought at small cost; bearing a relatively low price; inexpensive. Opposed
to dear. (adjective)
|