Town house : architecture and material life in the early American city, 1780-1830 / Bernard L. Herman.

Main entry:

Herman, Bernard L., 1951-2024

Title & Author:

Town house : architecture and material life in the early American city, 1780-1830 / Bernard L. Herman.

Publication:

Description:

xviii, 295 pages : illustrations, maps ; 24 cm

Notes:
Includes bibliographical references and index.
Urban settings: houses and housing in the early American city -- The merchant family's house -- The burgher's dilemma -- The servants' quarter -- The widow's dower -- The shipwright's lodgings -- A traveler's portmanteau -- A poetical city.

Summary:

In this abundantly illustrated volume, Bernard Herman provides a history of urban dwellings and the people who built and lived in them in early America. In the eighteenth century, cities were constant objects of idealization, often viewed as the outward manifestations of an organized, civil society. As the physical objects that composed the largest portion of urban settings, town houses contained and signified different aspects of city life, argues Herman. Taking a material culture approach, Herman examines urban domestic buildings from Charleston, South Carolina, to Portsmouth, New Hampshire, as well as those in English cities and towns, to better understand why people built the houses they did and how their homes informed everyday city life. Working with buildings and documentary sources as diverse as court cases and recipes, Herman interprets town houses as lived experience. Chapters consider an array of domestic spaces, including the merchant family's house, the servant's quarter, and the widow's dower. Herman demonstrates that city houses served as sites of power as well as complex and often conflicted artifacts mapping the everyday negotiations of social identity and the display of sociability.

Resources:
Table of contents
Book review (H-Net)
Publisher description
Table of contents

ISBN:

0807829919 (cloth ; alk. paper)
9780807829912 (cloth ; alk. paper)
1469633523
9781469633527

Subject:

Row houses United States.
Architecture United States History 18th century.
Architecture United States History 19th century.
Dwellings Social aspects United States.
Habitations en bandes États-Unis.
Architecture États-Unis 18e siècle.
Architecture États-Unis Histoire 19e siècle.
Habitations Aspect social États-Unis.
Architecture États-Unis Histoire 18e siècle.
Architecture
Dwellings Social aspects
Row houses
Stadthaus
Haus USA Geschichte 18. Jh.
Reihenhaus USA Geschichte 18. Jh.
Reihenhaus USA Geschichte 19. Jh.
United States
USA
Architecture United States 18th century
Architecture United States 19th century
Geschichte 1780-1830

Form/genre:

History

Added entries:

Omohundro Institute of Early American History & Culture.

Holdings:

Location: Library main 242349
Call No.: NA7206 .H47 2005
Status: Available

Actions:

Add to folder

Request these items

Email this list to yourself (or someone else)

Your folder is empty.

Please complete this form to make a request for consultation. A copy of this list will also be forwarded to you.

Your contact information

First name:

Last name:

Email:

Phone number:

Notes (optional):

We will contact you to set up an appointment. Please keep in mind that your consultation date will be based on the type of material you wish to study. To prepare your visit, we'll need:

— At least 2 weeks for primary sources (prints and drawings, photographs, archival documents, etc.)
— At least 48 hours for secondary sources (books, periodicals, vertical files, etc.)

Back to list

Submit