Customer Reviews

Household Gods: The British and their Possessions

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Deborah Cohen's book is a fascinating study on a number of levels. From its starting point as a history of the domestic interior of middle class homes from the Victorian era into the early twentieth century, it serves as a lens for examining the history of the period on a number of different levels. What emerges is an entertaining account of the democratization of taste that accompanied the growth of consumerism in the nineteenth century, one that reflected and presaged broader changes taking place in British society.

Cohen starts with a quote from a modern-day reverend bemoaning Britain's current obsession with home improvement stores which she sets up as an ironic counterpoint to the past, as in many ways the modern obsession with home decoration can be traced to the Evangelical movement of the nineteenth century. Prior to then, taste was the domain of the upper classes, inherent and exclusive to them. As the middle class prospered, however, its Evangelical members wrestled with the impact of the growing consumerism upon their souls. Their ingenious solution was not to reject materialism but to embrace it by stressing the moral impact goods made, and to channel consumption towards embodying godly virtues.

Though the impact of Evangelism faded as the century wore on, the passion for decoration only grew. The middle class increasingly sought to define themselves by their household possessions, taking advantage of both their increasing wealth and the diminishing cost of household goods. Cohen charts the many trends that emerged from this, such as the development of home-furnishing stores (many of which gradually divested themselves from their additional earlier role as undertakers), the growing embrace of the "artistic" as an ability for self-expression, and the gradual shift in the responsibility for decorating the home from men to women. She also describes the reaction from the traditional class of wealthier consumers, who began collecting older furniture, creating a market for "antiques" that allowed them to maintain class distinctions and distinguish themselves from the broader consuming public.

Engagingly written and supported by numerous illustrations, Cohen's book is an excellent study of its subject. From her analysis of household goods and interior decoration, Cohen provides insight into the cultural, social, and economic developments of the era, making this a must read study for anyone interested in the Victorian era and the modern world that emerged from it.

"A man's home is his castle" and no more so than in England, asserts Cohen in this excellent survey of consumerism in Great Britain from 1830 - 1930. Her survey touches on the ideas that began in the Georgian period, matured during the Victorian era and reached the fullness of their fruition during the inter-war period in the United Kingdom. The text is engaging enough to hold the casual reader of history, and yet well researched and documented enough to be useful to the dedicated historian. If you have ever yearned to walk down the street of Victorian London and see what was in the shops, this book is your window on that world.

As a antiquarian book and manuscript dealer for almost forty years I am always interested in why and how collectors collect. This book is a delight. Well researched, very readable, and the selection of illustration is wonderful. I bought another copy to send as a gift.

In "Household Gods" Deborah Cohen takes us on a tour of the hearts and homes of 100 years of middle-class England. The tour is not linear, but rather winds and weaves through the streets and changing trends and perspectives of the middling class from the 1830s-1930s. Cohen, through a rich and deep study of both primary and secondary sources, shows the reader how home decor and consumerism were (and are) not just following design fads, but often windows into the political and religious values and movements at given places in time. Items as simple as a chair can be seen as something so much more to the owner than simply a place to sit you bum. It could be a reflection of your religious values, it could be an expression of your deepest self (individual personality) or your darkest fear, it could be an expression (to yourself or others) of your place (or desired place) in society.

Goods and material items both helped express the man and "make the man", as disposable income grew and restrictions on class mobility shrank; household items and outfitting a home became both a way to express a person's religious, personal and social views and stance as well as a rung to actually help climb the social ladder. The view of personal expression through consumer goods wove a trail trough religious expression, unique personal identity to risk aversion and safety. Household goods reflected at a micro level the changing of the views and place in society of the middle class at a macro level.

Of particular fun was Cohen's chapter on the establishment of valuing and collecting antiques. Anyone who has an interest in "antiquing", in the US or across the pond, would enjoy this chapter and learn that our roots of almost making antique hunting a near-religion can be traced back to only the last 150 years.

Once you read Cohen's book and understand the deeper meanings of our "things", you will never look at household goods, in history or anywhere else, quite the same. You will look deeper and wonder, "What did the owner hope to achieve when they purchased this? What did this convey about them, to themselves and the outside world? Did this item reflect any religious/political viewpoint?"

Cohen wraps up the book with an epilogue which covers briefly the extension of our Cult of Home Improvement into the 21st Century with the proliferation of such home renovation and shopping shows as "Changing Rooms'" (the UK version and "Trading Spaces") and "Property Ladder", showing us just how much the cult of home of the 19th Century is not so far different from that of the 21st. A lovely and beautiful book which is both scholarly yet easily readable, "Household Gods" is likely to be a treasure for academics and consumer's alike, and might be a self-fulfilling prophesy as I can see more than one person placing it on their coffee table to help set them in a "class above the rest".

"Household Gods" is on the ROROTOKO list of cutting-edge intellectual nonfiction. Professor Cohen's book interview ran here as cover feature on December 9, 2009.