Joanna Cohen, University of Pennsylvania
Marguerite Bartlett Hamer Dissertation Fellow
“Millions of Luxurious Citizens:” Consumption and Citizenship in New York and Philadelphia, 1815-1876.
In 1876, thousands of Americans flocked to Philadelphia to commemorate their centennial and congratulated themselves on becoming a nation of “luxurious citizens.” How did this characterization gain currency in a nation that had forged its identity on the strength of the boycott? To answer this question my project explores the connections Americans made between their rights and obligations as citizens and their experiences and expectations as consumers in the rapidly changing commercial landscape of nineteenth century New York and Philadelphia. By examining a series of arenas where these connections crystalized, ranging from auction houses and mechanic’s institutes to nascent advertising agencies and the centennial fair, this project uncovers how the demands made by ordinary producers and consumers, on behalf of a nation’s economy, reconfigured Americans’ ideas about their patriotism and the meaning and practice of consumption in their country.