The White Bronze Monument Phenomenon: The Study of Agency and Fashion Through a 19th Century Mortuary Trend

Abstract

This thesis explores individual agency within a fashion trend through a case study of Victorian zinc grave monuments produced by the St. Thomas White Bronze Company of St. Thomas, Ontario between 1883 and 1900. A total of 222 monuments from the core area around St. Thomas, other regions of Ontario and the provinces of Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Manitoba and British Columbia were analysed in relation to the identities of the individuals who were commemorated by and who selected the monuments. Three main patterns emerged: 1) although cast in the same factory and from the same material, monument styles and forms varied regionally, 2) the social characteristics of consumers varied by region, demonstrating that they were not embraced by a uniform demographic group, and 3) their distribution shows they did not radiate outward uniformly from their point of origin, but instead occur within distinct pockets of adoption. Findings show that consumers, not just producers or sales agents, played a central role in the dissemination of White Bronze monuments. In the locus, near St. Thomas, White Bronze monuments signaled elite status and were consumed by the social elite, as well as individuals seeking alignment with the elite. Elsewhere, in contrast, they served as an inexpensive yet novel alternative to conventional monument materials, often used in idiosyncratic ways by individuals with more limited means. Historically overlooked groups, including lower-income families, women and parents of young children, adopted the type to fit their own commemorative needs, typically selecting smaller, less ostentatious examples. Knowledge of the type also varied from advertising and extensive media coverage in the locus to variable modes of dissemination in other areas. Frequently, they were introduced to new communities through consumer migration, by individuals who carried knowledge from previous locales and commissioned White Bronze memorials in their new settings. Overall, this thesis demonstrates that fashion trends are not passively received but are actively negotiated through the interplay of personal choice, social positioning and cultural context.