Through the story of a portrait of a woman in a silk dress; historian Zara Anishanslin embarks on a fascinating journey; exploring and refining debates about the cultural history of the eighteenth-century British Atlantic world. While most scholarship on commodities focuses either on labor and production or on consumption and use; Anishanslin unifies both; examining the worlds of four identifiable people who produced; wore; and represented this object: a London weaver; one of early modern Britain’s few women silk designers; a Philadelphia merchant’s wife; and a New England painter. Blending macro and micro history with nuanced gender analysis; Anishanslin shows how making; buying; and using goods in the British Atlantic created an object-based community that tied its inhabitants together; while also allowing for different views of the Empire. Investigating a range of subjects including self-fashioning; identity; natural history; politics; and trade; Anishanslin makes major contributions both to the study of material culture and to our ongoing conversation about how to write history.
#476797 in Books 2013-01-08Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 9.25 x 1.19 x 6.12l; 1.69 #File Name: 0300182902448 pages
Review
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful. Competent Intro with Some ProblemsBy Shamgar with an Ox GoadCatherine Brekus; a prominent scholar of American Religion at the University of Chicago; has written a good introductory text about American evangelicalism. Drawing heavily on writings of one women in Rhode Island who lead a series of interracial prayer meeting during the 18th century the books structure is fairly similar to other attempts by scholars to use the writing of one person to explain a time period. It instantly draws comparisons to Laurel Ulrich's "A Midwives Tale" and Martha Hodes "Sea Captains Wife;" though the book does seem a bit less biographical then either of those works.The text is clearly intended for use by undergraduates or audiences new to the field. The book explains Calvinism and spends time discussing the "New England Primer;" which likely will be simply a refresher for a more senior scholar. Still; it is nice that the work is accessible to a broader audience.The book does have a number of problems however. The most substantial is that Brekus argues that Evangelical Christianity was an enlightenment project. This may be a tenable argument; but Sarah Osborne's own writing offers little support for this conclusion and Brekus is forced to heavily cite evangelicals unconnected with her. The thesis simply does not flow naturally from the source base.This book is a worthy read for historians of the period; students of American religion or those trying to find there feet getting to know the subject. Recommended.2 of 2 people found the following review helpful. A great history of a great womanBy CodyI thoroughly enjoyed reading Brekus' history of Sarah Osborn. The book tended to be narrative/journalistic in style; and endeavored to bring Sarah to life for a modern reader. I greatly appreciated Brekus' ability to approach Sarah on Sarah's own terms; rather than writing a modern consciousness onto her or judging her from a modern viewpoint. My one critique would be that Brekus at times seems to write emotions onto Sarah that aren't necessarily evident in the text; but even in these instances Brekus' speculations are certainly believable.TLDR: if you are interested in religious history from America's early years as a country (and in the time leading up to it); definitely give this book a read.2 of 2 people found the following review helpful. Jonathan Edwards' times through the eyes of a fascinating womanBy Sarah M. EremicI have read a lot about this period; but usually through the eyes of the male theologians. Sarah Osborn fought serious odds to be able to think like she did; do what she did; and write volumes. A real treasure.
