Ulysses glances several times at the ads that were
conspicuously displayed on the outer surfaces of Dublin's tram
cars. The first of these comes in Lotus Eaters when
Bloom looks out from the portico of St. Andrew's church onto
busy Westland Row and sees "Trams: a car of Prescott's
dyeworks." (This would be a car on the DUTC's Route 9,
Kingsbridge to Hatch Street.) Later chapters reveal that Bloom
has been negotiating with the owner of this company to place
an ad in the Freeman's Journal.
The Thom's Directory of 1904 lists a Prescott's
dyeing and cleaning business at 8 Lower Abbey Street, owned by
one William T. C. Prescott. The business was thriving: it had
several other branch storefronts in the Dublin area and it
advertised in multiple media, including the Freeman.
In Lestrygonians Bloom tots up sums he may reasonably
expect to receive soon: "Keyes: two months if I get Nannetti
to. That’ll be two pounds ten about two pounds eight. Three
Hynes owes me. Two eleven. Prescott’s dyeworks van over
there. If I get Billy Prescott’s ad: two fifteen. Five
guineas about."
When he thinks of Milly in Nausicaa this plan floats
back into Bloom's consciousness: "Milly for example drying her
handkerchief on the mirror to save the ironing. Best place for
an ad to catch a woman’s eye on a mirror. And when I sent her
for Molly’s Paisley shawl to Prescott’s by the way that ad
I must, carrying home the change in her stocking! Clever
little minx." Apparently Bloom has been talking about landing
this ad for some time, because in Penelope Molly
complains about "always listening to him and Billy
Prescotts ad and Keyess ad and Tom the Devils ad."
In fabricating this part of the story Joyce apparently was
relying on knowledge of actual Prescott's ads in the
newspaper, one of which appeared on the day represented in the
novel. Gifford records the text of this ad published on the
first page of the 16 June 1904 Freeman's Journal: "IMPORTANT:
LACE CURTAINS are now very carefully cleaned and finished with
our New Dust Resisting process. By this System they keep
longer than if done in the old way. In Three Days 1/- Per Pair
PRESCOTT'S DYE WORKS Carriage Paid One Way."
