"Of sterling worth and good qualities" : status and domesticity in nineteenth-century middle class Charleston : archaeological investigations at site 38CH1871, Marlene & Nathan Addlestone Library, College of Charleston

Abstract

This project provided new insights into Charleston history and culture. The study suggested that the households under consideration used material culture related to dining and tea drinking as one of several ways of demarcating their class positions and affiliations. One of the findings of this study was that stylistic devices on ceramic teawares may have served to signal class affiliations among the planters. This study also explored the meanings attached to certain artifacts in the context of southern society.