Compare & Contrast: Exploring Form and Function in Design
Jan. 26–April 9, 2021
Forsyth Galleries | Memorial Student Center, MSC 2428
*Check our homepage or call for opening information before coming to see this exhibition.
From a range of specialty items specifically designed to serve asparagus at the dinner table to highly decorative items to compartmentalize each of the items that a lady should have on her boudoir table, this exhibit features a wide range of products that met the American consumer’s need to have specific items to address specific needs.
The industrialization, urbanization, economic growth, mass production, and distribution that accelerated after 1870 greatly expanded Americans’ sense of material possibility. As a modern consumer society took firm hold, the values of an older, preindustrial culture that emphasized spiritual as well as material improvement began to weaken. In their stead arose a culture organized around the production and acquisition of goods and services and a focus on self—fulfillment through economic prosperity.
In the second half of the nineteenth century, the size of the average Victorian American household was expanding and many had new rooms that were designed to meet specific purposes—from dining to dressing. Merchants rushed to provide a wide range of products to fill these spaces and provide a product (or products) for every perceivable task or need. The consumer “needed” a glass for every type of beverage; a unique plate for every new and exotic food item from asparagus to sardines; and multiple containers to hold everything from tobacco to toothpicks. There were humorous and bizarre tea pots made for conversation at tea parties, cheese keepers with placid cows as finials, and strawberry serving dishes and spoons used exclusively at strawberry-time.
Many items from the Forsyth collections played a part in this seemingly insatiable drive to acquire items that would supposedly enhance the quality of their owner’s life. Examining some of these items and their function can provide an intriguing window into the life of the Victorian household.
Online Tour
Go on an interactive tour of the exhibition! Immerse yourself in 360-degree views of the galleries and watch videos about Victorian life and the objects that shaped dining room etiquette.
Virtual 360-Degree Views