‘Superior Quality’: Exploring the nature of cost, quality and value in historical archaeology

Author(s): Penny Crook

Year: 2008

Summary

This dissertation represents an exploration of three key concepts in nineteenth-century consumerism: cost, quality and value. Broadly conceived as an archaeology of consumption, it evaluates the role these concepts play in approaching the archaeological material culture of the modern world. It interweaves two primary strands of inquiry: one, a consumption-theory driven study of trade catalogues to analyse the cost and promotion of 19th-century tablewares; and two, a close study of production flaws observed in archaeological sherds. These culminate in a consideration of how these goods may have been valued in their cultural context, and whether archaeologists are well placed to interpret such values.

Cite this Record

‘Superior Quality’: Exploring the nature of cost, quality and value in historical archaeology. Penny Crook. Doctoral Dissertation. La Trobe University, Archaeology Program, School of Historical & European Studies, Faculty of Humanities & Social Sciences. 2008 ( tDAR id: 377841) ; doi:10.6067/XCV8CZ36G3

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

Keywords

Culture
Australian • British • Historic

Material
Ceramic • Glass

Site Name
129 Lambeth Road (Lambeth, England) • Albert Embankment (Lambeth, England) • Burslem Market Place (Stoke-on-Trent, England) • Cumberland and Gloucester Streets site (The Rocks) • Norfolk House (Lambeth, England)

Site Type
Domestic Structure or Architectural Complex • Domestic Structures • House

Investigation Types
Collections Research • Methodology, Theory, or Synthesis

General
Archaeology of Consumption • Artefact catalogue • Assemblage Analysis

Geographic Keywords
London, England • Stoke-on-Trent, England • Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

Temporal Keywords
18th Century • 19th Century • Victorian Archaeology

Spatial Coverage

min long: 151.189; min lat: -33.88 ; max long: 151.218; max lat: -33.844 ;

Individual & Institutional Roles

Principal Investigator(s): Penny Crook

Record Identifiers

TDAR ID(s): 6819

FAIMS ID(s): repo.fedarch.org/project/6819

Notes

Administration Note: This project was created in tDAR in 2012 and merged with a companion project in the FAIMS Collection in 2016.

File Information

  Name Size Creation Date Date Uploaded Access
crook2008.pdf 11.35mb Sep 19, 2012 4:28:30 PM Public