Household Inventories Reassessed

ABSTRACT

Contrary to previous belief, there are now known to be substantial numbers of household inventories for nineteenth-century England and Wales. This article discusses what, and how, this “new” source can add to our understanding of the domestic cultures of the period. It describes how these inventories, read through the lens of a material-culture approach in both aggregate and interpretive analysis, not only offer unprecedented grounded evidence for how a sample of “unremarkable” Victorians laid out and equipped the spaces of their homes but also bring to light stories of intention, choice, and change in the furnishing, equipment, use, and meaning of domestic spaces.

KEYWORDS:

• household inventories
• nineteenth-century domestic cultures
• material culture
• interpretation
• aggregate analysis
• agency
• ownership patterns