'Superior Quality': exploring the nature of cost, quality and value in historical archaeology

This dissertation represents an exploration of three key concepts in nineteenth-century consumerism: cost, quality and value. Broadly conceived as an archaeology of consumption, it evaluates the role these concepts play in approaching the archaeological material culture of the modern world. It interweaves two primary strands of inquiry: one, a consumption-theory driven study of trade catalogues to analyse the cost and promotion of 19th-century tablewares; and two, a close study of production flaws observed in archaeological sherds. These culminate in a consideration of how these goods may have been valued in their cultural context, and whether archaeologists are well placed to interpret such values.