"To fix the taste of our country properly": the French style in Philadelphia interiors, 1788-1800
| Author(s) | Brunk, Andrew J. | |
| Date Accessioned | 2020-07-07T12:41:18Z | |
| Date Available | 2020-07-07T12:41:18Z | |
| Publication Date | 2000 | |
| Abstract | Many of the large group of French people who fled the Revolution in France and the uprising in Santo Domingo chose Philadelphia for their home in exile, and from this group an active French community developed in Philadelphia in the late 1780s and 1790s. This thesis attempts to quantify the impact of this French community on local tastes in interior furnishings and to trace some of the broad social impact of this émigré population. Compiling evidence from newspapers, manuscripts, documents, and secondary sources, an indication of the impact of the French £migr6 population on the culture in Anglo-Philadelphia is given, with an emphasis on the degree to which these people embraced the French taste in decorative arts and interiors. ☐ The diverse nature of this French community is first demonstrated, with particular attention given to the various professions that the £migr6s pursued in their efforts to support themselves while in exile. Through increased French mercantile activities, the European travels of cosmopolitan Philadelphians, the sale of sophisticated royal furnishings, and the growing international activity that followed the moving of the national capitol, French furnishings were increasingly available to Philadelphians. The nature of these furnishings and their sources are discussed, and put in context by examining their role in some prominent Philadelphia households. of these furnishings, chairs and seating furniture played an important role, particularly within the households of a few prominent Philadelphians. A number of French and French style chairs that were used or produced in Philadelphia are discussed in some detail. These chairs and the interiors in which they were displayed indicate that a specifically French style was embraced by some, but that despite the large French émigré population, Philadelphians were apparently reluctant to fully embrace a strict French style. This reluctance apparently stemmed from a combination of issues of taste, politics, and economics. Most fashionable households seem to have become increasingly “European” rather than strictly French, with elements of French, Continental, and British design forming the stylish and cosmopolitan interiors of many Philadelphia homes. | en_US |
| Advisor | Cooper, Wendy A. | |
| Degree | M.A. | |
| Program | University of Delaware, Winterthur Program in Early American Culture | |
| Unique Identifier | 1163784712 | |
| URL | http://udspace.udel.edu/handle/19716/27276 | |
| Publisher | University of Delaware | en_US |
| URI | https://search.proquest.com/docview/250067776?accountid=10457 | |
| dc.subject.lcsh | Furniture -- Pennsylvania -- Philadelphia -- History -- 18th century | |
| dc.subject.lcsh | House furnishings -- Pennsylvania -- Philadelphia -- History -- 18th century | |
| dc.subject.lcsh | Interior decoration accessories -- Pennsylvania -- Philadelphia -- History -- 18th century | |
| dc.subject.lcsh | Chairs -- Pennsylvania -- Philadelphia -- History -- 18th century | |
| dc.subject.lcsh | Philadelphia (Pa.) -- History -- 18th century | |
| dc.subject.lcsh | French -- Pennsylvania -- Philadelphia -- History -- 18th century | |
| dc.subject.lcsh | Decoration and ornament -- Pennsylvania -- Philadelphia -- Neoclassicism | |
| Title | "To fix the taste of our country properly": the French style in Philadelphia interiors, 1788-1800 | en_US |
| Type | Thesis | en_US |