The Four Seasons of Life: Middle Age

1868 Currier and Ives print, The Four Seasons of Life: Middle Age

By the 1860s, specialized pieces of furniture were displayed in the hallways and became badges of middle class status. For example, the hall stand was needed for coats, hats, and umbrellas of guests; elaborate hall tables held card receivers for the visiting cards of respectable upper and middle class people.
Image courtesy of Library of Congress.

3 thoughts on “The Four Seasons of Life: Middle Age

  1. This is an image I could use in my classroom when teaching about history and how people in the middle class may have dressed. This image can also be used to show students how the men were the ones who went out and worked while the women stayed at home.

  2. This would be a good picture to talk about family life in history. Students could observe how this idealized 19th century family it is different from today.

  3. This would be a great picture that I could use in my classroom. I could ask my students to analyze the image and ask them if all of the houses during the 1860s looked like this. I could also ask where the father has been all day. This lesson would help students understand that many decorative images from today and the past illustrate what many people wished for instead of their actual daily lives.

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