Needful Things: Essential Everyday Objects with Nicky Hughes
Description
Originally presented July 31, 2021
Link will be sent once payment is received. Link to the presentation is available for 2 weeks.
The presentation “Needful Things: Essential Everyday Objects in Antebellum American Households” by Nicky Hughes will introduce participants to objects commonly found and used daily in the homes of middling families in the antebellum era – very roughly, the second quarter of the 19th century. These items would have been perfectly familiar to most such folks, and should be similarly familiar to persons seeking to accurately re-create the lifestyles and experiences of Americans before and during the Civil War. Some attention will be given to seasonal, regional, and economic class variations in commonplace objects, but the objective will be to provide a guide for the selection and acquisition of affordable and generally representative reproduction and original objects. The presentation will take those in attendance from room to room through a routine day, describing essential objects encountered in each place and situation. Cookware, food storage containers, beverage and condiment bottles, food preparation tools, china, glassware, silverware, toiletry essentials, bedding and other textiles, furniture, lighting devices, and such will receive attention. Examples of period items will be shown in photographs, accompanied by images of currently available reproductions.