Course Conclusion: Trends in Course Conclusion: Trends in American Cultural Formation, American Cultural Formation,

1830-19191830-1919

Industrialization, urbanization, middle-class Industrialization, urbanization, middle-class emergenceemergence liminality, rites of passage, mutability of class-based liminality, rites of passage, mutability of class-based

identity categoriesidentity categories Changes in print culture, commerceChanges in print culture, commerce Visions of nature, visions of cultureVisions of nature, visions of culture Canon of domesticity and the relationship of Canon of domesticity and the relationship of

public and privatepublic and private

Antebellum:

The Four Seasons of Life: Middle AgeThe Four Seasons of Life: Middle Age

Lithograph by Currier and Ives, New York, 1868Lithograph by Currier and Ives, New York, 1868

Antebellum popular culture Antebellum popular culture

Blackface minstrelsyBlackface minstrelsy Cultural conflict: the Cultural conflict: the

Bowery versus Astor Place Bowery versus Astor Place

Individual and collective Individual and collective identityidentity

self-made manhood self-made manhood and true womanhoodand true womanhood

antebellum reform antebellum reform spirit (temperance, spirit (temperance, abolition, etc.)abolition, etc.)

Thomas Cole, "The Thomas Cole, "The Falls Of Kaaterskill,“ Falls Of Kaaterskill,“ 18251825

Civil WarCivil War technologies of representation: photography and technologies of representation: photography and

lithographylithography

Plantation tales and nostalgia for pre-Civil War pastPlantation tales and nostalgia for pre-Civil War past African-American self-representation: Washington and African-American self-representation: Washington and

DuBoisDuBois Race, manhood, and the vanishing frontierRace, manhood, and the vanishing frontier Turn-of-the-century visions of empireTurn-of-the-century visions of empire Orientalism in art, literature, and popular cultureOrientalism in art, literature, and popular culture

Late 19th century -- Race and Late 19th century -- Race and nationhoodnationhood

Gilded Age labor conflictGilded Age labor conflict Urban geography of class, Progressive reform, Urban geography of class, Progressive reform,

and technologies of representationand technologies of representation Riis versus Ashcan SchoolRiis versus Ashcan School The leisure class and the ethnic poorThe leisure class and the ethnic poor

Shift from producer ideology to a culture of Shift from producer ideology to a culture of consumptionconsumption

Capitalism and Culture, 1880-presentCapitalism and Culture, 1880-present

Consumer CultureConsumer Culture When do we first see the When do we first see the

emergence of consumer emergence of consumer culture?culture?

What are its most salient What are its most salient forms at the turn of the forms at the turn of the century?century? Department stores, chain Department stores, chain

stores, and mail-order stores, and mail-order catalogscatalogs

Amusement parksAmusement parks Variety theater and sheet Variety theater and sheet

musicmusic Sound recordings and Sound recordings and

motion picturesmotion pictures

Consumer Culture, Consumer Culture, continuedcontinued

What are its consequences What are its consequences for identities grounded in for identities grounded in class, race, ethnicity, age, class, race, ethnicity, age, and gender?and gender?

How does the shift from a How does the shift from a producer-oriented society producer-oriented society to a consumer-oriented to a consumer-oriented society change popular society change popular perceptions of democracy, perceptions of democracy, the good life, and the the good life, and the American dream?American dream?

Final ObservationFinal Observation

All culture is contested.All culture is contested. Culture is not epiphenomenal, but is Culture is not epiphenomenal, but is

rather a crucial ground on which rather a crucial ground on which battles between socially and battles between socially and politically disparate groups are politically disparate groups are waged.waged.

Film becomes such a battleground in Film becomes such a battleground in the first decades of the 20the first decades of the 20thth century century

The “American Picture Palaces” website quotes The “American Picture Palaces” website quotes William Leach:William Leach:

[The advent of consumer culture] was far from [The advent of consumer culture] was far from liberating, as it "raised to the fore only one vision of liberating, as it "raised to the fore only one vision of the good life and pushed out all others...[it] denied the good life and pushed out all others...[it] denied American people access to insight into other ways American people access to insight into other ways of organizing and conceiving life, insight that might of organizing and conceiving life, insight that might have endowed their consent to the dominant have endowed their consent to the dominant culture with real democracy." As older grounds for culture with real democracy." As older grounds for American democracy like ownership of property and American democracy like ownership of property and control of work eroded, brokers of consumerism control of work eroded, brokers of consumerism substituted an "inviting vision of their society as one substituted an "inviting vision of their society as one of icon equality...freedom of choice came to be of icon equality...freedom of choice came to be perceived as a freedom more significantly exercised perceived as a freedom more significantly exercised in the marketplace than in the political arena."(21) in the marketplace than in the political arena."(21)

Early Popular Film and the Early Popular Film and the Utopian Vision of Consumer Utopian Vision of Consumer

PlentyPlenty

Let’s discuss the following Let’s discuss the following images and textimages and text

[T]he movie palaces are . . . part of a [T]he movie palaces are . . . part of a larger story -- the rise of a pervasive larger story -- the rise of a pervasive culture of consumerism which culture of consumerism which dramatically altered the way Americans dramatically altered the way Americans worked, played, and thought about their worked, played, and thought about their relationships to other citizens. . . . Movie relationships to other citizens. . . . Movie palaces perfectly demonstrate the palaces perfectly demonstrate the anxieties, exhilarations, and pitfalls of the anxieties, exhilarations, and pitfalls of the culture of consumerism. . . .culture of consumerism. . . .

Colonial Theatre, Colonial Theatre, Wichita, Kansas, Wichita, Kansas, 1910. 1913 view1910. 1913 view

D.W. Griffith’s D.W. Griffith’s Birth of a Nation Birth of a Nation (1915), (1915),

Cecil B. DeMille’s Cecil B. DeMille’s The Cheat The Cheat (1915),(1915),

and the inscription of inequality in and the inscription of inequality in American consumer cultureAmerican consumer culture

Mighty SpectacleMighty Spectacle

The dawn of a new art!The dawn of a new art!

The Fiery Cross The Fiery Cross of the Ku Klux Klan!of the Ku Klux Klan!

Plot summary from Plot summary from imdb.com:imdb.com:

Edith Hardy uses charity Edith Hardy uses charity funds for Wall Street funds for Wall Street investments in hopes of investments in hopes of buying some new gowns. buying some new gowns. She loses all the money She loses all the money and borrows from wealthy and borrows from wealthy oriental Tori. When her oriental Tori. When her husband gives her the husband gives her the amount she borrowed, amount she borrowed, Tori won't take it back, Tori won't take it back, branding her shoulder branding her shoulder with a Japanese sign of with a Japanese sign of his ownership. She shoots his ownership. She shoots him. Her husband takes him. Her husband takes the blame. In court Edith the blame. In court Edith reveals all to an angry reveals all to an angry mob.mob.

Tori signs a check for Edith HardyTori signs a check for Edith Hardy

Tori prepares to brand Edith with branding iron Tori prepares to brand Edith with branding iron to assert his sexual ownership over her.to assert his sexual ownership over her.