British Political Material Culture in the Age of Reform, 1780-1832

Abstract

Material culture studies seek to use objects as a source to examine how society functioned and was experienced. To develop three key points, this thesis takes a sample of objects from three growing industries during the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries; ceramics, textiles, and numismatics. Firstly, these objects will be used to explore the political experiences that they were a part of. It will demonstrate that political objects were an integral parts of the daily lives of Georgians across society, regardless of citizenship. Secondly, it will discuss the transference of political symbols, iconography, and prints on to objects, considering how the change in form develops our understanding of the circulation of political prints and visual political literacy. Finally, it will consider how the increasing amount of commercial goods for purchase may have affected the popularity of certain political activities using these goods, and whether commercial motivations significantly affected the growth of political objects as the ceramic, textile and numismatic industries facilitated and encouraged the commercialisation of political events and political figures.

Date of Award	25 Mar 2025
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	University of Northampton
Supervisor	Drew Gray (Director of Studies), Matthew McCormack (Supervisor) & Mark Rothery (Supervisor)