Download or read book Exploring Victorian Behavior Through the Archaeological and Historical Record: A Case Study from a Turn-Of-The-Century Privy in Downtown Los Angeles written by Kyle Hamilton Garcia and published by . This book was released on 2020 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This thesis presents an analysis of an artifact assemblage recovered from a turn-of-the-century privy feature in Downtown Los Angeles in conjunction with historic records to determine whether the privy users embraced the Victorian values of their time and whether they consumed products that became popular during the Victorian era and that signaled their socioeconomic status. Some of the historical records that were analyzed include federal census records, city directories, Sanborn Maps, and newspaper articles. The privy feature was also evaluated to determine whether it qualifies as a historical resource or a unique archaeological resource pursuant to the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). The results of the research show that the contents of the privy were deposited between 1891 and 1918 and that at least a portion of the privy deposit appears to have been associated with the Bosshard family, a Swiss family that immigrated to Los Angeles in 1870, after initially arriving in Utah from Switzerland in 1861 as recent converts to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The serving and tableware vessels recovered from the privy and the design and layout of their residential property suggest that the Bosshards embraced Victorian values of rational order. Moreover, a cameo necklace pendant and hot beverage serving and drinking vessels from the privy assemblage appear to reflect their middle-class socioeconomic status and that they had disposable income to spend on mass-produced Victorian era products. The privy feature and its associated artifact collection is recommended as eligible for listing in the California Register of Historical Resources under Criteria 2 and 4, for its association with Herman Bosshard, who appears to have made a significant contribution to the initial development of the music and building industries in Los Angeles, and since the privy yields and has the potential to yield information important to the history of Los Angeles, especially during the Victorian era. As a result, the privy qualifies as a historical resource and a unique archaeological resource pursuant to CEQA.