Provisions, Possessions, and Positionality: Faunal Analysis of the Dorchester Industrial School for Girls

Summary

Through faunal analysis of the remains of mammals, molluscs, fish and fowl found at the Dorchester Industrial School for Girls this report explores the dietary habits of staff and students, and connects the socioeconomic and cultural positionality of the girls, the School, and their food to the greater context of late 19th century Boston. We may interrogate specific social circumstances and their effect on daily meals, and in doing so draw useful comparisons between the activities of the port of Boston, the perpetual motion of a kitchen, and the revolving door of a school for destitute girls. Investigation of decorative shells used by the girls will provide contrast to the more utilitarian food-based faunal analysis. Through analysis of both food and personal belongings we may add dimension to our contemporary view of the residents of the Industrial School, and gain insight into their small, but important, existence.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for Historical Archaeology 2018   •
• Schoolhouse Rock! 400 Years of Race, Gender, and Class in Boston Area Educational Institutions

Keywords

Spatial Coverage

Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): Society for Historical Archaeology

Record Identifiers

PaperId(s): 726