Description:
Receipt from Mary Balch to Mrs. Goddard for the former's instruction of three of Goddard's children. Mary Balch (1762-1831) was a teacher in Providence, Rhode Island. Her school was in operation from about 1785 until the late 1820s. Originally from Newport, Balch never married, instead pursuing a career as a teacher for both boys and girls. While many examples of needlework attributed to the school survive by her students, none of these works explicitly cite the school themselves. The receipt is an important documentation of the costs involved in educating children in New England during the early 19th century. On the receipt, which is a fragment of rule paper, is written: Mrs Goddard to Miss Balch - Dr/ For the instruction of 3 Children, Thomas, from May 3rd/ to Augst. 28th 1 qtr (lost time excepted)/ Miss Hope & Master William from June 1st to / Augst. 28th. 1830- 10 Weeks each/ lost time exceptd/ Miss Hope 25 cts & Wm 1/. pr week_ _ _/ Use of pen & ink .25/ Paymt Rec'd $6.41/ Mary Balch. On the verso is addressed Mrs. Goddard from Miss Balch $6-41 Pd Oct. 5, 1830."
Label Text:
Extant art, needlework, and exercise lessons are often the only evidence we have of 18th- and early 19th-century children’s accomplishments in school. These items are sometimes identified with the child’s name, their age or place of residence, and the date. While informative on many levels, these sources often open up many more questions that are difficult to answer. These receipts from the Providence, Rhode Island, school of Mary Balch (1762-1831) help to shed more light on the practical aspects of children’s education in the early 19th century. In operation from about 1785 until Balch’s death in 1831, the school was well known for the high level of its students’ artistic and educational output. These more humble receipts nevertheless act as important supporting documentation to those works. They detail prices for tuition, instruction, and embroidery supplies, and also inform on payment cycles for academies in the New Republic. They also reveal that Balch’s school was co-educational, instructing boys as well as girls.
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https://museums.fivecolleges.edu/detail.php?t=objects&type=ext&id_number=HD+2016.36.2 |
