Inside Texas - by Cynthia A Brandimarte (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

"Inside Texas: Culture, Identity and Houses, 1878-1920" is a 464 page book with 296 photos that tests and rejects the notion that Texas homes, like all things Texan, were unique and different. Over the 40 year time span covered by the book, decorating ideas nationally and in Texas went from the era of Victorianism with "all that stuff" to the spare, clean lines of the arts and crafts movement. By 1920, like Americans across the country, many Texans, especially the wealthier, were taking their decorating ideas from the new professionals - architects and designers - and their homes reflected less their own identity than the taste and eye of the decorator.

In seven years of research, Brandimarte traveled the state, collecting photographs of interiors of Texas homes - rare in comparison to exterior views. The images reprinted here are arranged neither in chronological order nor according to decorating style but by identities -occupation, family, ethnicity, social group, region, culture and refinement, class and style. Brief biographical information about the homeowners is incorporated into the text.

"Inside Texas" is about people and houses. It is social history, a significant contribution to scholarship, an invaluable resource for preservationist, docents, architects and designers as well as a book to be treasured by anyone who loves old houses.

From the Back Cover

Inside Texas is about people and houses. Two hundred and ninety-six photographs, taken inside Texas homes between 1878 and 1920, document the way Texans lived, how they saw themselves, what they bought and what they treasured, how they fashioned their homes to reflect their interests. Eight separate identities--occupation, family, ethnicity, social group, region, refinement, class and style--provide the organization of the book, taking it far beyond simple chronological discussions of various styles. Inside Texas tests--and rejects--the notion that interiors, like all things Texan, were unique. In spite of popular misconceptions, not all turn-of-the-century Texans crowded their house with Victorian bric-a-brac nor did they lounge on horn furniture. Over this forty-year period, spanning the turn of the century, decorating ideas nationally--and in Texas--went from the era of Victorianism, with "all that stuff" to the spare and clean lines of the arts and crafts movement. By 1920, like Americans across the country, many Texans, especially the wealthier, were taking their decorating ideas from the new professionals--architects and designers--and their homes reflected less their own identity than the taste and eye of the decorator. Inside Texas is a social history, an invaluable resource for preservationists, docents, architects, interior designers, and anyone who loves old homes.