The Gloves Scandal of Front Street
A bitter public dispute erupts in 1886 Seattle between dry goods merchants over the authenticity of French-imported kid gloves.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
An article in the Seattle Post-Intelligencer reveals a heated merchant war regarding the 'Genuine Foster Kid Gloves.' The firm W. P. Boyd & Co., located on Front Street, has issued a sharp public notice declaring themselves the exclusive authorized agents for the brand in Seattle. They have accused rival merchants of peddling fraudulent imitations, labeling any shop that claims to sell the 'real' Foster glove without their sanction as purveyors of an 'unmitigated lie.' Boyd & Co. insists that the true price of the quality import is $1.50, $2.00, and $2.50, and warns consumers that other establishments selling similar items under that name are 'falsifiers and unworthy of the principle' of honest business.
“Any house in Seattle so-called 'cheap stores' and representing such to be the 'genuine Foster' makes a false representation—to make the statement more forcible, an unmitigated lie.”
This 1886 territorial dispute over 'exclusive agencies' and counterfeit goods mirrors the modern challenges of e-commerce brand protection and the intense competition in Seattle's retail history. Even then, merchants understood that controlling the supply chain was the key to civic power and reputation.
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