Refined Tastes: Sugar, Confectionery, and Consumers in Nineteenth-Century America (The Johns Hopkins University Studies in Historical and Political Science)
By
Wendy A. Woloson (Author)
Hardback
Available / dispatched within 1 - 4 weeks
Quantity
Description
American consumers today regard sugar as a mundane and sometimes even troublesome substance linked to hyperactivity in children and other health concerns. Yet two hundred years ago American consumers treasured sugar as a rare commodity and consumed it only in small amounts. In Refined Tastes: Sugar, Confectionery, and Consumers in Nineteenth-Century America, Wendy A. Woloson demonstrates how the cultural role of sugar changed from being a precious luxury good to a ubiquitous necessity. Sugar became a social marker that established and reinforced class and gender differences. During the eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, Woloson explains, the social elite saw expensive sugar and sweet confections as symbols of their wealth. As refined sugar became more affordable and accessible, new confections-children's candy, ice cream, and wedding cakes-made their way into American culture, acquiring a broad array of social meanings. Originally signifying male economic prowess, sugar eventually became associated with femininity and women's consumerism. Woloson's work offers a vivid account of this social transformation-along with the emergence of consumer culture in America. 1 Line drawings, black and white; 35 Halftones, black and white
About the Author
Wendy A. Woloson is bibliographer for the program in Early American Economy and Society and acting curator of printed books at the Library Company of Philadelphia.
More Details
- Contributor: Wendy A. Woloson
- Imprint: Johns Hopkins University Press
- ISBN13: 9780801868764
- Number of Pages: 296
- Packaged Dimensions: 152x229x24mm
- Packaged Weight: 590
- Format: Hardback
- Publisher: Johns Hopkins University Press
- Release Date: 2002-05-03
- Series: The Johns Hopkins University Studies in Historical and Political Science
- Binding: Hardback
- Biography: Wendy A. Woloson is bibliographer for the program in Early American Economy and Society and acting curator of printed books at the Library Company of Philadelphia.
Delivery Options
Home Delivery
Store Delivery
Free Returns
We hope you are delighted with everything you buy from us. However, if you are not, we will refund or replace your order up to 30 days after purchase. Terms and exclusions apply; find out more from our Returns and Refunds Policy.