ABSRACT
Children are frequently left out of discussions in archaeology, particularly in the maritime context. Oftentimes evidence for children can be lacking due to fragility and size. In the case of the wreck of City of Houston, most of the cargo was Christmas presents intended for children in New York, making them the forefront of the discussion and impossible to ignore. This large amount of concentrated material culture is a rarity in the archaeological record and can shed important light on consumption during the late 19th century. Knowing what children were given as gifts can also help to provide an understanding of parental or familial expectations, assumptions, and decisions during the early stages of children’s lives. A set of glass child-sized condiment bottles from City of Houston can be analyzed as part of a larger whole to discern some of these qualities of a child’s life during the late 19th century.
Key Words
Glass, Children, Shipwreck, Archaeology, American, 19th Century