Material Culture Alert: Interior Decorating

So my Monday didn't start so well. I left my laptop's power cable at home and on my way in from the museum parking lot I slipped, fell, and skinned my knee. What am I, five years old?

Things got better, though, when I got to hear a guest speaker talk about  the late 1800's phenomenon of interior photography. It was all the rage to have a professional come in and document your house, and then have him make a nifty gift book with a photo tour of your abode. Pictures of college dorm rooms were also very popular. 

Swarthmore College

One man kept the shot of his senior year sitting room all his life - you could see it proudly displayed in photos of his adult bedroom, along with the name tag that hung over the dorm room door.

This was all very interesting and of course reminded how people still document how the live at college and elsewhere. In the interest of the historical record, here are shots I took of my room in the VSC house during my first week...

...and halfway through the year. Observe how personal objects have transformed a former convent "cell" into a twenty-something's crash pad.

 

 Yeah, that was a pretty messy day, but you can learn some interesting things about me. First, my sensitivity to light when sleeping, hence the ghetto blanket/curtain. The pictures on the wall are from Williamsburg and the National Gallery of Art. The tote bag on the bed was a thrift store find. The purple cup on the desk is evidence of my "cup hog" hoarding habit as I tried to stay hydrated. There's a book on the floor because would read in bed but have nowhere to set the book when I fell asleep (I still do this.)

You're welcome, historians of the 2100s. I photographed the whole house if you're looking for a master's thesis topic.