Parasols, Picnics, and Pavillions: Feminization of the Florida Frontier

Summary

This is a poster submission presented at the 2020 annual meeting of the Society for Historical Archaeology.

This poster analyzes how the Federal army and its camp followers imposed a white American identity, specifically a feminine identity, on the Florida frontier in the early 19th century. To answer this question, I used archival and archaeological data from Fort Brooke, Tampa to better understand the ways that women contributed to the drive to civilize the borders of the new United States. My analysis showed that the women camp followers at Fort Brooke imposed feminine gentility, and conquered unfriendly environmental conditions, using an array of means to achieve their goal including the use of fashionable accessories, group outings like picnics, and ice cream parties under a special pavilion. Their sense of style and social organization served to ascribe whiteness to the territory.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for Historical Archaeology 2020   •
• 2020 SHA Poster Submissions

Keywords

Spatial Coverage

Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): Society for Historical Archaeology

Record Identifiers

PaperId(s): 944