Health and Hygiene in Lower Mid-City: An Example of Urbanization, Consumerism, and Americanization in Lower Mid-City during the Late 19th and Early 20th Centuries

Katie L. Kosack

Health and Hygiene in Lower Mid-City: An Example of Urbanization, Consumerism, and Americanization in Lower Mid-City during the Late 19th and Early 20th Centuries

Year: 2018

Summary

As part of the rebuilding process following Hurricane Katrina, twelve city squares in the Lower Mid-City National Register District were investigated archaeologically within the new VA New Orleans Medical Center project area. This study drew on extensive archaeological and archival data to present a holistic story of the working-class residents who helped shape New Orleans during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Archaeological data from each of the house lots revealed everyday practices and informed understanding of living conditions, health, and consumerism of late 19th century Lower Mid-City residents. This paper focuses on the assemblage of medicinal bottles to explore how individuals confronted urbanization and modernization while participating as active consumers in an expanding market. More broadly, this paper explores how consumer choices reveal the process of Americanization that took place in New Orleans as individuals from diverse backgrounds became New Orleanians.

Cite this Record

Health and Hygiene in Lower Mid-City: An Example of Urbanization, Consumerism, and Americanization in Lower Mid-City during the Late 19th and Early 20th Centuries. Katie L. Kosack. Presented at Society for Historical Archaeology, New Orleans, Louisiana. 2018 ( tDAR id: 441424)