Cleaning Up in Early Modern Europe: Intellectual, Social, and Material History


Notions of purity and cleanliness are deeply embedded within the arts and material cultures of early modern Europe. From the dialectic between stained and immaculate that is at the heart of Judeo-Christian beliefs, to the most practical recipes for stain removal from books of secrets, we will examine a broad variety of evidence to explore not only what clean meant, but its opposite—what was considered unclean or dirty. Primary sources may include the Bible, sumptuary laws, etiquette treatises, books of secrets, poetry and fiction, as well as manuscript illuminations, frescoes, paintings, prints, and textiles. We will move between the spiritual and the physical. How often did people bathe, and where? How did they deal with bodily smells and imperfections? How, when, and where did they wash their clothes, homes, and household linens? What materials were employed in cleaning? This research seminar will be structured around weekly readings and individual reconstructions of recipes for cleaning agents and cosmetics. Requirements: a class presentation, a reconstruction, and a final research paper of between 3,000 and 4,000 words. 3 credits. Satisfies the pre-1800 requirement.