Document Type
Article
Publication Date
Spring 2015
Published In
Winterthur Portfolio
Abstract
For observant members of the Society of Friends in greater London and Philadelphia during the eighteenth century, navigating the Quaker plainness testimony involved material culture choices that might be viewed by non-Quakers as concealing motives of frugality or blurring class lines or as violating standards of decency and propriety. This was particularly true of coffins, which were carried through the streets from home to burial ground followed by family and friends. On this public stage, Quaker coffin choices satisfied the requirements for plainness while at the same time they demonstrated family values and fulfilled societal expectations.
Recommended Citation
Patricia C. O'Donnell.
(2015).
"This Side Of The Grave: Navigating The Quaker Plainness Testimony In London And Philadelphia In The Eighteenth Century".
Winterthur Portfolio.
Volume 49,
Issue 1.
29-54.
DOI: 10.1086/681634
https://works.swarthmore.edu/sta-libraries/79
Comments
This work is freely available courtesy of University of Chicago Press and the Henry Francis Dupont Winterthur Museum.