The Secret Life of Victorian Houses

by Zingman-Leith, Elan; Zingman-Leith, Susan; Fields, Tim

• ISBN13: 9781880216101
• ISBN10: 1880216108
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 1993-08-01
• Publisher: Elliott & Clark Pub

Summary

The Secret Life of Victorian Houses traces the fascinating connections between the eras domestic tastes and its social history. The Victorians were the first Americans to enjoy a bounty of affordable, mass-produced goods. But the Industrial Revolution, which supplied those comforts, was hardly sedate. The authors explore how the outpouring of styles, from Greek Revival columns to Gothic crenelations, from Turkish carpets to Eastlake tables, reflected the Victorians' new concepts of morality, culture, and manners. Tim Field's photographs of authentic period houses distill the essence of Victorian styles -- the delicacy of a Marie Antoinette parlor, the bombastic self-confidence of a Renaissance Revival dining room, the romanticism of an Italianate country retreat. His images masterfully evoke the human impulses behind a wonderful architectural legacy. The Secret Life of Victorian Houses includes the addresses for notable Victorian house museums. A useful source guide also lists purveyors of finished materials such as wallpaper, tile, millwork, lighting, and more.

Table of Contents

Introduction	6	(5)
The Dining Room	11	(14)
The New Era of Self-Control	11	(8)
The Health Food Movement and Home Economics	19	(6)
The Parlor	25	(30)
A New Role for Women	25	(16)
The Aesthetic Movement	41	(14)
Styles	55	(26)
Greek Revival	55	(8)
Gothic Revival	63	(8)
Italinate	71	(10)
How the West Waswon	81	(12)
The Bedroom	93	(26)
Sex and Sin	93	(12)
Sweat and Self-Image	105	(14)
Collecting Mania	119	(10)
The Twentieth Century	129	(6)
Bibliography	135	(2)
Source List	137	(4)
Photography List & Additional House Museums	141	(3)
Acknowledgments	144