The American Bourgeoisie: Distinction and Identity in the Nineteenth Century (Palgrave Studies in Cultural and Intellectual History)

What precisely constitutes an American bourgeoisie? Scholars have grappled with the question for a long time. Economic positions—the ownership of capital, for instance—most obviously define this group but cannot explain the emergence of shared identities or the capacity for collective action: after all, economic interests frequently drove capital-rich Americans apart as they competed for markets or governmental favors. Engaging fundamental questions about American society in the nineteenth century, this book argues that one of the most important factors in the self-definition of the bourgeoisie was its articulation of a shared culture. "What precisely constitutes an American bourgeoisie? Scholars have grappled with the question for a long time. Economic positions-the ownership of capital, for instance-most obviously defines this group. Control of resources cannot explain, however, the emergence of shared identities or the capacity for collective action: after all, economic interests frequently drove capital-rich Americans apart as they competed for markets or governmental favors. This book argues that one of the most important factors in this respect was the articulation of a shared culture, but this aspect has been neglected by most scholarship on the issue. This volume engages a fundamental disciplinary question about this period in American history: how did the bourgeoisie consolidate their power and fashion themselves not simply as economic leaders but as cultural innovators and arbiters? How did culture help them formulate a sense of themselves as a distinct social group with shared identities, while simultaneously setting themselves apart from other Americans?"-- "Nowhere in the world did a bourgeoisie emerge as influential as that in the nineteenth-century United States. This group of upper class men and women combined familiar forms of economic might and political power with new forms of cultural clout, creating institutional structures, architectural designs, and aesthetic models that continue to shape our lives today, from the foodstuffs we fancy to the art collections we admire. How bourgeois Americans established a dominant class culture and forged a common cultural vocabulary is the subject of this volume"-- Cover......Page 1 Contents......Page 6 List of Images......Page 8 Acknowledgments......Page 10 Introduction......Page 12 Part I: Habits and Manners......Page 20 1 Goodbye to the Marketplace: Food and Exclusivity in Nineteenth-Century New York......Page 22 2 "Natural Distinction": The American Bourgeois Search for Distinctive Signs in Europe......Page 38 3 Henry James and the American Evolution of the Snob......Page 56 4 Patina and Persistence: Miniature Patronage and Production in Antebellum Philadelphia......Page 74 5 The "Blending and Confusion" of Expensiveness and Beauty: Bourgeois Interiors......Page 98 Part II: Networks and Institutions......Page 112 6 Bourgeois Institution Builders: New York in the Nineteenth Century......Page 114 7 The Steady Supporters of Order: American Mechanics' Institute Fairs as Icons of Bourgeois Culture......Page 130 8 A Noble Pursuit?: Bourgeois America's Uses of Lineage......Page 146 9 Elite Women and Class Formation......Page 164 10 Rediscovering the Bourgeoisie: Higher Education and Governing-Class Formation in the United States, 1870–1914......Page 178 Part III: The Public Sphere......Page 202 11 Ordering the Social Sphere: Public Art and Boston's Bourgeoisie......Page 204 12 The Problem of Chicago......Page 220 13 Bourgeois Appropriation of Music: Challenging Ethnicity, Class, and Gender......Page 244 14 The Birth of the American Art Museum......Page 258 15 The Manufactured Patron: Staging Bourgeois Identity through Art Consumption in Postbellum America......Page 268 List of Contributors......Page 288 Index......Page 290 Pt. I. Habits and manners. Goodbye to the marketplace : food and exclusivity in nineteenth-century New York / Anne Mendelson "Natural distinction" : the American bourgeois search for distinctive signs in Europe / Maureen E. Montgomery Henry James and the American evolution of the snob / Alide Cagidemetrio Patina and persistence : miniature patronage and production in antebellum Philadelphia / Anne Verplanck The "blending and confusion" of expensiveness and beauty : bourgeois interiors / Katherine C. Grier pt. II. Networks and institutions. Bourgeois institution builders : New York in the nineteenth century / Sven Beckert The steady supporters of order : American Mechanics' Institute fairs as icons of bourgeois culture / Ethan Robey A noble pursuit? Bourgeois America's uses of lineage / Francesca Morgan Elite women and class formation / Mary Rech Rockwell Rediscovering the bourgeoisie : higher education and governing-class formation in the United States, 1870-1914 / Peter Dobkin Hall pt. III. The public sphere. Ordering the social sphere : public art and Boston's bourgeoisie / Julia B. Rosenbaum The Problem of Chicago / Paul DiMaggio Bourgeois appropriation of music : challenging ethnicity, class, and gender / Michael Broyles The birth of the American art museum / Alan Wallach The manufactured patron : staging bourgeois identity through art consumption in postbellum America / John Ott. "What precisely constitutes an American bourgeoisie? Scholars have grappled with the question for a long time. Economic positions-the ownership of capital, for instance-most obviously defines this group. Control of resources cannot explain, however, the emergence of shared identities or the capacity for collective action: after all, economic interests frequently drove capital-rich Americans apart as they competed for markets or governmental favors. This book argues that one of the most important factors in this respect was the articulation of a shared culture, but this aspect has been neglected by most scholarship on the issue. This volume engages a fundamental disciplinary question about this period in American history: how did the bourgeoisie consolidate their power and fashion themselves not simply as economic leaders but as cultural innovators and arbiters? How did culture help them formulate a sense of themselves as a distinct social group with shared identities, while simultaneously setting themselves apart from other Americans?"-- Provided by publisher This volume engages a fundamental disciplinary question about this period in American history: how did the bourgeoisie consolidate their power and fashion themselves not simply as economic leaders but as cultural innovators and arbiters? It also explains how culture helped Americans form both a sense of shared identity and a sense of difference.