Decorated Ceramic Serving Wares as Expressions of Social Identity in Nineteenth-Century Albany, New York

Lecture Center 19

To what degree do consumer choices for decorated serving wares reflect social identity and wealth in the early and mid-nineteenth century in historical Albany, New York? Ceramic assemblages analyzed from two archaeological sites, representing contrasting sociocultural contexts, address this question. The sites include the Ten Broeck Mansion, from which materials represent the possessions of Abraham Ten Broeck and his wife, Elizabeth Van Rensselaer, wealthy persons of their era, and in contrast, the Stephen and Harriett Myers Residence, for which the sample represents the tastes and means of a middle-class African American family in an increasingly urban environment. The Myers family were influential leaders in Albany’s Underground Railroad and abolitionist activities. Two principal variables analyzed include: 1) motif choices reflecting social ideals or professional occupation, and 2) the degree of matched or mismatched pottery styles in the assemblage. Scenes of ships, riverine landscapes, and those reflecting Romanticist ideals are associated with the Myers house, in keeping with riverine professions and abolitionist ideals held by residents. In contrast, the Ten Broeck assemblage reveals greater emphasis on porcelain or imitations, important to expressions of high status in early Albany. More matching pieces at the Ten Broeck Mansion meet expectations for a wealthier context, whereas middle-class residents of the Myers residence had greater ceramic style diversity.