‘Mouldering Chairs and Faded Tapestry ... Unworthy of the Observation of a Common Person’: Considering Textiles in Historic Interiors

Textiles occupy a paradoxical position in historic house interiors. Once one of the most significant elements in many decorative schemes, they have slipped down the hierarchy of decorative art objects, partly because of modern perceptions of textiles, partly because of their dual aesthetic and functional roles and partly because, if not properly cared for, they become faded, dingy, holey, unstable, ‘unworthy’ echoes of their former selves. This article examines the impact that degradation has on textiles and how they are perceived, focusing on colour, surface, texture, lustre and completeness, previous interventions and conservation strategies. It explores changing attitudes to visible degradation — fading, losses, holes, alterations, repairs — and considers how curators and conservators may engage with these complex changes and their implications when planning interpretative and interventive strategies in historic interiors. It considers how recent developments in conservation theory and practice can contribute to this ongoing challenge for display and interpretation.     

Some Native Legends from Central Australia

LAMPS OF ANTHROPOLOGY. By JOHN MURPHY, D.Litt., D.D., Emeritus Professor of Comparative Religion in the University of Manchester. (M.U. Press, 1943, sm. oct, pp. ix + 179.) Reviewed by J. H. Hutton.

ANTHROPOMORPHISM AND MIRACLE. By ERLAND EHNMARK (Uppsala Universitets. Arsskrift 1039:2). Uppsala, A. B. Lundequistska Bokhandeln, and Leipzig, Otto Harrassowitz. Pp. vi + 230. Reviewed by H. J. R.

YORKSHIRE HOBS. By BRUCE DICKINS. Trans. Yorkshire Dialect Society, vol. 7, part 43. Pp. 9–23. 1942. Reviewed by Wilfrid Bonsor.     

Flows,Friction and the Sociomaterial Metabolization of Alcohol

Abstract: Political ecologists have considered the sociomateriality of diverse hybrids and the metabolism and circulation of urban flows such as water, food and waste. Adding alcohol to this list enhances our understanding of the geography of alcohol as well as the theory of sociomateriality. Viewing alcohol as a sociomaterial hybrid draws attention to the power‐laden, dynamic processes which shape its flow, rather than considering it as already in place. Additionally, my examination of alcohol calls attention to aspects of sociomateriality which are widely relevant but underexplored in the literature: the role of friction in shaping flows; the need to examine microscale impacts of sociomateriality on the body and community; and the conditional impacts of complex, unpredictable sociomaterial hybrids. I use a case study of alcohol in Cape Town to examine how alcohol flows, encounters friction, flows over boundaries and shapes sociability and harm in complex, indeterminate ways. Studies of alcohol typically focus on either its negative impacts on health and wellbeing or positive impacts on economic development, while policy debates focus on whether and how to control access. In this paper, I move beyond these binaries to provide a more nuanced, grounded articulation of how alcohol flows and what inhibits its flow. I examine the distribution of power and agency, limitations of state regulation, willingness of community members to act outside of and with little fear of the law, and the specificity of alcohol as a highly desirable commodity which easily flows around artificial barriers. These insights help clarify relationships, power and the (in)efficacy of policy efforts, and suggest the need to refocus debates. The paper is unable to provide specific policy recommendations, but instead argues that a better understanding of flows and frictions can move the focus from alcohol control to reducing alcohol‐related harm.