Determining whether, or to what degree, there was a Quaker aesthetic in Philadelphia has challenged scholars for more than half a century. Through their material choices, nineteenth-century Friends consciously and unconsciously conveyed information and ideas about their religious beliefs and the extent of their intersection with non-Quakers to friends, family members, business associates, strangers, and the world at large. An analysis of Philadelphia Quakers' antebellum photographic consumption, including a comparison with non-Quakers' selections, reveals that although there was a range of choices of attributes in daguerreotypes among Quakers, their portraits fall at the more restrained end of the spectrum. By choosing a gallery, wearing certain clothing, and opting for a daguerreotype of a particular size and elaboration, Friends balanced their own needs with those of their faith and actively participated in the consumer culture of a major metropolitan area. Their choices invite us to look at how people employed material culture---photographic images and clothing here, but also buildings, landscapes, furniture, and everyday items---and put their imprint on the actions of buying, selling, giving, receiving, and using objects and spaces.
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