A Cheerful and Comfortable Faith: Anglican Religious Practice in the Elite Households of Eighteenth-Century Virginia

Description

This enlightening book examines the physical objects found in elite Virginia households of the eighteenth century to discover what they can tell us about their owners’ lives and religious practices. Lauren F. Winner looks closely at punch bowls, needlework, mourning jewelry, baptismal gowns, biscuit molds, cookbooks, and many other items, illuminating the ways Anglicanism influenced daily activities and attitudes in colonial Virginia, particularly in the households of the gentry. Contents Illustrations Introduction. Kitchenware That Wants You to Love Your Neighbor: Household Religious Practice in Anglican Virginia 1. With Cold Water and Silver Bowls Becoming an Anglican in Eighteenth-Century Virginia 2. Becoming a ‘‘Christian Woman’’: Needlework and Girls’ Religious Formation 3. People of the Book Liturgical Culture and the Domestic Uses of Prayer Books 4. Sarah Foote Stuart’s Fish Sauce: The Liturgical Year around the Table 5. ‘‘To Comfort the Living’’ The Household Choreography of Death and Mourning Epilogue. Lucy Smith Digges’s ‘‘Little Old Fashioned Oblong Black Walnut’’ Table: Household Religious Practice in Episcopalian Virginia Notes Bibliography Acknowledgments Index