The Age of Consumption: A Study of Consumer (and Producer) Behavior and the Household

Summary

Historical archaeologists have long noted the importance of consumer behavior, especially in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. However, archaeological interpretations of consumer behavior tend to focus narrowly on race or status. While anthropologists have often emphasized the importance of factors such as the household's age structure, lifecycle, and kin relationships within the context of the wider community, archaeologists have paid less attention to these factors. Using data from the excavations of eighteen farms in the Finger Lakes National Forest, occupied through the 19th century and into the 1930's, I will examine how these factors influenced consumer choices made by a household and how all aspects of production and consumption were prioritized. 

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Money: Studies of Trade and Consumption   •
• Society for Historical Archaeology 2013

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Contact(s): Society for Historical Archaeology

Record Identifiers

PaperId(s): 508