Curators and Culture

The Museum Movement in America, 1740-1870

Nonfiction, Art & Architecture, General Art, Art History, American
Cover of the book Curators and Culture by Joel J. Orosz, University of Alabama Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Joel J. Orosz ISBN: 9780817382179
Publisher: University of Alabama Press Publication: May 6, 2011
Imprint: University Alabama Press Language: English
Author: Joel J. Orosz
ISBN: 9780817382179
Publisher: University of Alabama Press
Publication: May 6, 2011
Imprint: University Alabama Press
Language: English

This volume argues that a small, loosely connected group of men constituted an informal museum movement in America from about 1740 to 1870.

As they formed their pioneer museums, these men were guided not so much by European examples, but rather by the imperatives of the American democratic culture, including the Enlightenment, the simultaneous decline of the respectability and rise of the middle classes, the Age of Egalitarianism, and the advent of professionalism in the sciences. Thus the pre-1870 American museum was neither the frivolous sideshow some critics have imagined, nor the enclave for elitists that others have charged. Instead, the proprietors displayed serious motives and egalitarian aspirations.

The conflicting demands for popular education on the one hand and professionalism on the other were a continuing source of tension in American museums after about 1835, but by 1870 the two claims had synthesized into a rough parity. This synthesis, the "American Compromise," has remained the basic model of museums in America down to the present. Thus, by 1870, the form of the modern American museum as an institution which simultaneously provides popular education and promotes scholarly research was completely developed.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

This volume argues that a small, loosely connected group of men constituted an informal museum movement in America from about 1740 to 1870.

As they formed their pioneer museums, these men were guided not so much by European examples, but rather by the imperatives of the American democratic culture, including the Enlightenment, the simultaneous decline of the respectability and rise of the middle classes, the Age of Egalitarianism, and the advent of professionalism in the sciences. Thus the pre-1870 American museum was neither the frivolous sideshow some critics have imagined, nor the enclave for elitists that others have charged. Instead, the proprietors displayed serious motives and egalitarian aspirations.

The conflicting demands for popular education on the one hand and professionalism on the other were a continuing source of tension in American museums after about 1835, but by 1870 the two claims had synthesized into a rough parity. This synthesis, the "American Compromise," has remained the basic model of museums in America down to the present. Thus, by 1870, the form of the modern American museum as an institution which simultaneously provides popular education and promotes scholarly research was completely developed.

More books from University of Alabama Press

Cover of the book Hex by Joel J. Orosz
Cover of the book Nationalizing a Borderland by Joel J. Orosz
Cover of the book Theatre Symposium, Vol. 9 by Joel J. Orosz
Cover of the book Contemporaries and Snobs by Joel J. Orosz
Cover of the book After Wallace by Joel J. Orosz
Cover of the book Of Such a Nature/Índole by Joel J. Orosz
Cover of the book Glory Hole by Joel J. Orosz
Cover of the book The Mark of Criminality by Joel J. Orosz
Cover of the book Anna's Shtetl by Joel J. Orosz
Cover of the book From Conciliation to Conquest by Joel J. Orosz
Cover of the book The Ascent of Chiefs by Joel J. Orosz
Cover of the book History and Hope in the Heart of Dixie by Joel J. Orosz
Cover of the book Coming Out of War by Joel J. Orosz
Cover of the book Abductive Reasoning by Joel J. Orosz
Cover of the book Enemy in the Blood by Joel J. Orosz
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy