Expressions of Social Space and Identity: Interior Furnishings and Clothing from the Swedish Warship Vasa of 1628.

This collection contains the abstracts of the papers presented in the session entitled "Expressions of Social Space and Identity: Interior Furnishings and Clothing from the Swedish Warship Vasa of 1628.," at the 2020 annual meeting of the Society for Historical Archaeology.

Current research on the hull and finds of the Swedish warship Vasa (1628) has been focused in two main areas. The interior furnishings of the cabins in the stern have revealed a great deal about the political/diplomatic function of the ship as well as the relationship between the craftsmanship of royal-level joiners and the more practical construction of the ship. The clothing and shoes left behind by crew and guests provide an unparalleled look at the everyday clothes of ordinary people. Both reveal aspects of the expression of social structures on board the ship, as imposed from the naval administration in the form of the organization and decoration of space and as individual expressions of identity in the choice of clothing to take to sea. This session will present recent results of these two studies, as well as some exploration of the wider context these finds represent.