A fact-filled, copiously illustrated, revealing survey of Yankee
life and households in an earlier time, complied by Boston-based
curator Nylander (Director/Society for the Preservation of New
England Antiquities). Drawing on an array of original documents and
records - especially on a handful of diaries written by New England
women of the period - Nylander offers a substantive view of
household life during a time that saw the nation established and
its northern regions industrialized. The images the author presents
are often those in which female activities or concerns predominate,
although the male presence in the home is by no means given short
shrift. The family "unit" in pre-Civil War America, Nylander
explains, included nonnuclear members as well as boarders, hired
help, and, frequently, young married couples preparing to create a
household of their own - with daily routines consisting not only of
meal preparation and house cleaning but also of spinning, sewing,
and preparing for a variety of future events, from marriage to
parties and other social gatherings. Changes in technology prompted
immense shifts in these routines, with, for instance, iron stoves
replacing the massive kitchen fireplaces and commercial weaving
offering greater variety than the homemade product. But while the
agricultural or village aspects of New England living generally
dominate this account, the emphasis clearly is on more well-to-do
families rather than their more numerous, poorer - and less
literate - neighbors. Not comprehensive, then, and at times overly
reliant on diary excerpts - but informative, and valuable for its
many glimpses of American interiors. (Kirkus Reviews)
This charming book portrays domestic life in New England during the
century between the American Revolution and the Civil War. Drawing
on diaries, letters, wills, newspapers, and other sources, Jane C.
Nylander provides intimate details about preparing dinner, spinning
and weaving textiles, washing and ironing laundry, planning a
social outing, and exchanging food and services. Probing behind the
many myths that have grown up about this era, Nylander reveals the
complex reality of everyday life in old New England. "Nylander . .
. invites her readers to enjoy her copious knowledge of the
interiors and domestic management of late-18th-century New England
homes. The imaginatively illustrated [book] is dedicated to the
notion that the details of everyday life form the core of human
experience."-Martha Saxton, The New York Times Book Review A
fact-filled, copiously illustrated, revealing survey of Yankee life
and households in an earlier time, . . . informative and valuable
for its many glimpses of American interiors."-Kirkus Reviews "A
delightfully intimate portrayal of New England home life. . . .
Enlivened by 162 period illustrations, [Nylander's] survey affords
a rare glimpse of middle- and upper-class housework, clothing,
kitchens, diet, socializing and much else."-Publishers Weekly A
century-long portrait of day-to-day activities in a New England
home. . . . Nylander's nitty-gritty approach is absorbing. . . .
Photographs from various historical societies along with period
sketches and paintings add pizzazz and authenticity."-Booklist "A
visual and narrative feast."-Robert St. George, University of
Pennsylvania
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