September 30th readings

            All of the readings from this past week dealt with issue race and gender and its relationship to the object. The articles this week looks at objects that was associated or commonly found among a certain race or gender. I found this week to be interesting because the objects showed us how gender roles were present in the nineteenth century. Additionally, I found it interesting how in the past many historians over looked the advancements and common standards of living among the African-American culture due to prior racism and we can see that objects were found among African-American communities as well.

            Upton’s article examined the landscape of blacks and whites in the 18^th century in central Virginia which at the time had the slave system present. The most interesting part about Upton’s article was how Upton was describing the landscape that was found on a plantation and how there were very specific roles that each found themselves designated to. The way that the plantation was designed reinforced the social relationship between whites and blacks and how blacks were considered to be inferior to the white community.

            Jane Przybysz’s article “Quilts, Old Kitchens, and the Social Geography of Gender at Nineteenth-Century Sanitary Fairs” examined the popular craft of quilting and how it was associated with a specific gender during colonial America.  With quilting being associated with females it demonstrates that the gender roles that feminist fight today are deeply rooted in our cultural and material history. I found that with the article dealing with gender roles is similar to my object I am studying for our exhibit, in the fact that my Trousseau dress also have gender roles associated with it with women expecting to have a honeymoon/newlywed dress to be presentable to society as a newlywed. Another aspect of Przybysz’s that I believe will help me with my object is that she used primary sources such as a diary and literature to examine the craft of quilting and looking at primary sources such as a diary I believe will give me a better insight as to the social relations that are associated with a Trousseau dress and the means women went through to have an appropriate garment.  

            Finally, Ulrich’s book The Age of Homespun, also showed the gender roles that were associated with specific domestic responsibilities. We begin to see how it was expected more for women to stay in the home and spin wool for clothes and candles and the men out in the community doing more manual labor. Additionally, I found it interesting that Ulrich introduced the development of the female labor economy which at the time was a bartering system. Women’s work was deemed valuable and the women were able to exchange goods among themselves, therefore we saw a community developing among women who were trading goods among one another.