'An idea of grandeur': Furnishing the classical interior in Charleston, 1815-1840

To understand the information received from recovered archaeological materi al and what it reveals about the spread of refinement in 19th-century Ameri ca, it is important to place it within the broader context of its original setting. This work draws upon probate inventories and surviving material ar tifacts, such as homes, furniture, and decorative arts, to reconstruct the upperclass interior in Charleston, South Carolina, in the early antebellum period and illustrate the unique taste demonstrated by antebellum Charlesto nians. As the lines that separated upper from middle class were becoming in creasingly blurred, elite Charlestonians asserted cultural authority by mai ntaining an allegiance to the ideal of the English landed gentry. They emph asized their inheritance of an aristocratic order and constructed a materia l world that sought to identify themselves with European taste and culture. They travelled extensively in Europe acquiring art and objects with which they could ornament their homes and express their allegiance with European and classical culture, their liberal education, and, most importantly, thei r refined manners and taste.