Date of Award
8-14-2025
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Arts (MA)
Department
History
First Advisor
Charles Romney
Abstract
This thesis explores the role of personal fragrance as a cultural marker in the 19th-century American South, examining how scent reflected identity, status, and social norms in a region shaped by colonialism, capitalism, and religious influence. Drawing on historical sources, botanical knowledge, and public history practices, the project traces the evolution of fragrance from home-crafted perfumes to mass-marketed products, highlighting how access to scent was shaped by race, class, and gender. Central to the thesis is a public history exhibition designed for the Esse Purse Museum in Little Rock, Arkansas, which invites visitors to engage with scent as a medium of memory through a multisensory, accessible experience. By integrating historical research with interactive museum design, this project underscores the power of scent in shaping lived experience, cultural memory, and historical understanding.
Recommended Citation
Peters, Sarah Donahua, "Scent of the South: Fragrance and Identity in the 19th Century" (2025). Theses and Dissertations. 1289.
https://research.ualr.edu/etd/1289
