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.