‘Victuals’ shows taste of an era

By Michelle Isham

Many popular writers, Michael Pollan and Barbara Kingsolver for example, have bemoaned the fact that, as often as not, American families eat their meals on the go. Foodies, locavores and pundits alike worry important cultural traditions are being lost every time a fast-food burger is eaten en route to soccer practice. When food is consumed simply to fill a void, they argue, we lose our connection to what we eat and to each other.

“Victuals and Vicissitudes: Food and Change in New England,” an exhibit at the Centre County Historical Society’s Centre Furnace Mansion, looks back at the dining implements and habits in 18th- and mid-19th-century New England. The display implies that the act of sharing a meal and the accoutrements of dining were central to everyday life in a way that no longer exists.

“Due to the pace of our lives these days, I don’t think communal eating is as central as it used to be. This exhibit gives people a chance to mull over what we might be missing,” exhibit curator Angela Bredeen said.

Staged in four parts, the exhibit explores the tastes of the New England middle and upper classes as well as the influence of European design before and after the American Revolution. One table setting features blue and white Spode earthenware in the Tower pattern from the mid-1800s; another depicts a typical tavern table set with pewter tankards and horn-handled flatware. The two remaining tables are inspired by Henry Sargent paintings, “The Dinner Party” painted in 1820 and “The Tea Party,” completed a year later.

In a period when the manufacturers were just developing the mechanisms to mass-produce consumer goods, the items on display were treasured items to their owners.

“People wanted these things. They wanted nice china. They wanted nice glasses. These items were an important part of their belongings,” Bredeen said.