Dissertations and Theses @ UNI
Availability
Open Access Thesis
Keywords
Abercrombie & Fitch--History; Abercrombie & Fitch; Camping--United States--History--19th century; Camping--United States--History--20th century; Wilderness area users--United States--History--19th century; Wilderness area users--United States--History--20th century; Camping; Wilderness area users; United States; 1800-1999; Academic theses; History;
Abstract
During the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, American culture experienced a profound fascination with primitivism, wilderness, and raw nature. Numerous outdoor activities became increasingly popular as Americans sought to revitalize the national vigor they envisioned as inextricably connected to a life close to nature. One of these activities was woodcraft camping; that is, a minimalistic form of wilderness recreation that valued simplicity and self-sufficiency as opposed to luxuriant idleness. Woodcraft campers expressed a deep dissatisfaction with what they considered to be the mind-numbing, spirit-crushing emptiness of modem life. In the wilderness, they beheld one of the remaining vestiges of reality and authenticity. This thesis examines the literature of woodcraft camping in an effort to understand how and why early campers formulated alternative identities as outdoorsmen and women to counteract their perceived detachment from the reality of the natural world. It also considers the relationship between outdoor recreation and consumer culture, specifically exploring the trajectory of the renowned outfitting firm Abercrombie and Fitch. The values campers expressed through their material consumption exhibited a stance towards materialism incongruous with that of mainstream culture. Principles of simplicity, practicality, and authenticity were infused within the gear and fashion of wilderness camping. The result was an aesthetic sensibility that ultimately enshrined vernacular authenticity as one of the hallmarks of American consumer taste.
Year of Submission
2012
Degree Name
Master of Arts
Department
Department of History
First Advisor
Barbara A. Cutter
Second Advisor
Brian E. Roberts
Third Advisor
Louis E. Fenech
Date Original
2012
Object Description
1 PDF file (179 leaves)
Copyright
©2012 Brian Beauvais
Language
en
File Format
application/pdf
Recommended Citation
Beauvais, Brian, "“Where the Blazed Trail Crosses the Boulevard”: Gear, Fashion, and Outfitting in Early Recreational Wilderness Camping, 1880-1920" (2012). Dissertations and Theses @ UNI. 2050.
https://scholarworks.uni.edu/etd/2050
Comments
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