Historia Crítica

Hist. Crit. | eISSN 1900-6152 | ISSN 0121-1617

The Material World of Everyday Life: Household Furniture in Córdoba (Argentina) in the Late-Eighteenth Century

No. 38 (2009-05-01)
  • Cecilia Edith Moreyra
https://doi.org/10.7440/histcrit38.2009.07

Abstract

This article begins by introducing the field of material culture studies and the way it incorporates the mutual interaction between society and material objects. It then describes household furniture in the Argentine city of Cordoba in the late-eighteenth century, paying particular attention to three important spaces of daily life: the living room, the drawing room, and the bedroom. Lastly, it analyzes the meanings of different pieces of furniture and the social practices associated with them. By analyzing different sources, the aim is to show that the various kinds of objects studied not only produced physical effects but also communicated or expressed other attributes such as social and economic status or gender differences.

Keywords: Material culture, everyday life, household furniture, Cordoba, Argentina