Object Lessons of the Revolutionary Atlantic

This project explores the circulation of objects associated with the American, French, and Haitian revolutions.  Life-sized wax figures, printed textiles and ceramics, royalist furniture, articles of dress, and souvenirs, as well as other items, traveled throughout the Atlantic during this period, and they tied these revolutions together in ways that, until now, have not been thoroughly interrogated.  The standard argument asserts that objects concretized political discourse, making sophisticated concepts comprehensible and easily identifiable, and in the process, revolutionary material culture helped to mold new nations.  However, my work shows that objects were more dynamic: they were not simply repositories of fixed messages, but instigators of contentious debate over the significance of Atlantic revolutions.  A close consideration of objects reveals the wide range of rival interpretations among Atlantic observers over such central concerns as violence, equality, and sovereignty.

Material culture also allows us to appreciate the “Atlantic-ness” of this crucial period in fresh ways.  Importantly, these objects were in motion:  they traversed national borders and oceans, propelled by consumer demand, commercial forces, political actors, and diverse migrant populations.  The broad circulation of these goods suggests that revolutions were not only read about by learned audiences or traditional political actors, but they were experienced by larger publics as well, even in areas far removed from the epicenters of activity.  In this manner, material culture makes accessible the views of varied and sometimes underrepresented groups, including slaves, women, and the illiterate.  By following the paths of these objects, we come to see the Atlantic revolutions as a web of interconnections shaped by diverse participants who produced, carried, and consumed these cultural goods.