Objects of Affection? Materialising Courtship, Love and Sex in Ireland, c. 1800-1830.

Leanne Calvert

doi:10.1080/14780038.2022.2065720

Objects of Affection? Materialising Courtship, Love and Sex in Ireland, c. 1800-1830.

Leanne Calvert

School of History and Geography

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

Abstract

This article uses a collection of mementos curated by Robert James Tennent, a middle-class man, to interrogate how objects materialised love and sex in Ireland. It problematises readings of courtship tokens as simple objects of affection, and considers how individuals engaged in culturally-sanctioned courtship practices in extra-licit ways. Gifts and tokens took on new meanings when they were accessioned into the personal archives of their owners and catalogued as mementos of past relationships. Read as a collection of courtship mementos and a homemade pornographic archive, this article argues that the collection provides an unique insight into the curation of sexual memory.

Original language	English (Ireland)
Pages (from-to)	247
Number of pages	263
Journal	Cultural and Social History
Volume	19
Issue number	3
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1080/14780038.2022.2065720
Publication status	Published - 18 Apr 2022

Access to Document

10.1080/14780038.2022.2065720

Forget Flowers. Lovers in 18th- and 19th-century Ireland exchanged hair’
Calvert, L.
10/02/26
1 Media contribution
Press/Media

Cite this

@article{9b6ab0625e124bb4a2a7e1bd7d234d25,

title = "Objects of Affection? Materialising Courtship, Love and Sex in Ireland, c. 1800-1830.",

abstract = "This article uses a collection of mementos curated by Robert James Tennent, a middle-class man, to interrogate how objects materialised love and sex in Ireland. It problematises readings of courtship tokens as simple objects of affection, and considers how individuals engaged in culturally-sanctioned courtship practices in extra-licit ways. Gifts and tokens took on new meanings when they were accessioned into the personal archives of their owners and catalogued as mementos of past relationships. Read as a collection of courtship mementos and a homemade pornographic archive, this article argues that the collection provides an unique insight into the curation of sexual memory.",

author = "Leanne Calvert",

note = "Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2022 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor \& Francis Group.",

year = "2022",

month = apr,

day = "18",

doi = "10.1080/14780038.2022.2065720",

language = "English (Ireland)",

volume = "19",

pages = "247",

journal = "Cultural and Social History",

issn = "1478-0038",

number = "3",

}

TY - JOUR

T1 - Objects of Affection? Materialising Courtship, Love and Sex in Ireland, c. 1800-1830.

AU - Calvert, Leanne

PY - 2022/4/18

Y1 - 2022/4/18

N2 - This article uses a collection of mementos curated by Robert James Tennent, a middle-class man, to interrogate how objects materialised love and sex in Ireland. It problematises readings of courtship tokens as simple objects of affection, and considers how individuals engaged in culturally-sanctioned courtship practices in extra-licit ways. Gifts and tokens took on new meanings when they were accessioned into the personal archives of their owners and catalogued as mementos of past relationships. Read as a collection of courtship mementos and a homemade pornographic archive, this article argues that the collection provides an unique insight into the curation of sexual memory.

AB - This article uses a collection of mementos curated by Robert James Tennent, a middle-class man, to interrogate how objects materialised love and sex in Ireland. It problematises readings of courtship tokens as simple objects of affection, and considers how individuals engaged in culturally-sanctioned courtship practices in extra-licit ways. Gifts and tokens took on new meanings when they were accessioned into the personal archives of their owners and catalogued as mementos of past relationships. Read as a collection of courtship mementos and a homemade pornographic archive, this article argues that the collection provides an unique insight into the curation of sexual memory.

U2 - 10.1080/14780038.2022.2065720

DO - 10.1080/14780038.2022.2065720

M3 - Article

SN - 1478-0038

VL - 19

SP - 247

JO - Cultural and Social History

JF - Cultural and Social History

IS - 3

ER -

Objects of Affection? Materialising Courtship, Love and Sex in Ireland, c. 1800-1830.

Abstract

Access to Document

Fingerprint

Press/Media

Forget Flowers. Lovers in 18th- and 19th-century Ireland exchanged hair’

Cite this