The light of the home

Many people contributed to the preparation of this book. The board of trustees of the Margaret Woodbury Strong Museum and its two directors, Holman J. Swinney and William T. Alderson, have been committed from the outset to informing the public of the breadth and depth of United States history in the nineteenth century. Their continuing support in the preparation of this book cannot be overstated. Mary-Ellen Earl Perry, curator of fine arts at the Strong Museum, provided nearly all of the research for chapters one, four, and six. She also located and assembled most of the artifactual materials illustrated in the book. Always cooperative, she carefully and diplomatically prevented me from pushing the evidence too far and kept my analyses closer to the things that real people used. Many of her own family members, themselves products of the late Victorian era, contributed both information and support. The late Prudence Jamouneau and Mrs. Perry’s parents, Sylvia A. and the late John H. Earl, were instrumental in her continued interest in the period. Most especially, Mrs. Perry wishes to thank her husband, Harold E. Perry, who never completely shared her enthusiasm for the late nineteenth century, but who appreciated hers and gave unfailing support even as he endured the subject morning, noon, and night for the years this project was under way. Many people shared valuable information from their family records and reminiscences. Mary DeMund, Ruth B. Earl, Betty A. Lewis, William F. Sullivan, and Ruth Osborne Hill immeasurably aided this study. Others on the museum staff gave support and encouragement, especially the chief librarian, Elaine Challa-combe. She was always vigilant for the book or manuscript that would solve the problems that seemed monumental at the time. Mary Kay Ingenthron, director of public relations, and the museum’s two photographers—Harry Bickelhaupt, who photographed the artifacts, and Tom Weber, who made the prints—were always willing to help whenever they could. Their work speaks for itself.