Material Culture
Analyses of physical objects and artifacts to understand the social, economic, and technological practices of past and present societies.
Persistent Objects and Domestic Rhythms
Objects endure long after their original purpose fades, serving as silent witnesses to the rhythms of domestic and public life.
Material Objects as Silent Social Records
From medieval harness mounts to nineteenth-century quilts, the objects we leave behind function as silent, enduring records of our social and personal histories.
Ordinary Objects Reflecting Domestic Histories
Everyday objects act as silent witnesses to the domestic lives and social currents of their time.
Anchors of the Everyday
From medieval bone flutes to the hand-stitched garments of the civil rights movement, our possessions serve as the silent, durable witnesses to our fleeting histories.
Stitched Hems as Anchors of Identity
Objects are not merely tools; they are the silent, physical anchors of human identity and the passage of time.
Traces of the Hand
The objects we leave behind serve as quiet witnesses to the rhythms of daily existence, from the labor of the hearth to the play of the parlor.
Objects of Persistence
From the medieval bone whistle to the hand-stitched dress, the things we leave behind reveal the quiet tenacity of daily life.
Handheld Objects and Human Rhythms
From medieval bone flutes to the hand-stitched garments of the twentieth century, objects reveal the quiet, persistent rhythms of human life.
Stitches in the Fabric of Daily Life
From the rigidity of the corset to the utility of a nurse's uniform, the objects we wear and keep reveal the quiet pressures of their time.
Material Echoes of Daily Life
Objects do not merely occupy space; they anchor us to the specific, often unrecorded, textures of the past.