Classical Savannah

By the end of the eighteenth century, classicism, which arose out of Europe's fascination with ancient Greece and Rome, had also left its mark on America. This study of the classical style in the fine and decorative arts shows the extent to which it influenced the material culture of Savannah, Georgia, from 1800 to 1840. More than 130 examples of objects owned in Savannah in this period are illustrated, described, and discussed. The objects include oil paintings and watercolors, clocks, musical instruments, jewelry, sculptures, engravings, bank notes, needlework, china, silver, brass, lighting fixtures, architectural elements, and furniture. Page Talbott presents an overview of the origins of classicism in Europe and its spread to America. Emphasizing Americans' close identification of classicism with national values and ideals, Talbott also discusses the style in the context of Savannah's social life and its history as a major southern port. She covers not only the principles, methods, and materials of classical design, but also the manufacture, distribution, sale, and ownership of a wide range of functional and decorative objects. Classical Savannah is the companion volume to the Classical Savannah exhibition, which opened in the spring of 1995 at the Telfair Museum of Art in Savannah. Illustrating well over half of the items in the exhibit, and including a detailed checklist of the additional seventy objects not shown in the book, Classical Savannah is a valuable source for historians, designers, decorators, collectors, and anyone interested in this period of America's history.

An engaging narrative tells the story of Savannah, Georgia, from the hopeful arrival of its first permanent English settlers in 1733 to the uncertainties faced by its Civil War survivors in 1865. Reprint.

Gracious history and modern luxuries in an exquisite natural setting Charleston has become the most compelling destination in the coastal South for people who are serious about food and cooking. Meanwhile, Savannah has the nation’s largest registered Urban Historic District, with a booming arts and film community to bring the past to life. This latest Explorer’s Guide is the best source for information on Charleston’s farm-to-table scene and Savannah’s artistic culture. And not to be missed: the area’s rural Coastal Islands hold rich history and the opportunity to learn more about the Gullah-Geechee culture of formerly enslaved Africans. Stay in romantic inns or luxurious resorts and dine on regional delicacies like oysters and quail. Whether you’re visiting for a long weekend or renting a cottage for a week, see why Charleston, Savannah, and the historic small towns in between are beloved by residents and continue to enchant visitors.

Savannah’s Midnight Hour argues that Savannah’s development is best understood within the larger history of municipal finance, public policy, and judicial readjustment in an urbanizing nation. In providing such context, Lisa Denmark adds constructive complexity to the conventional Old South/New South dichotomous narrative, in which the politics of slavery, secession, Civil War, and Reconstruction dominate the analysis of economic development. Denmark shows us that Savannah’s fiscal experience in the antebellum and postbellum years, while exhibiting some distinctively southern characteristics, also echoes a larger national experience. Her broad account of municipal decision making about improvement investment throughout the nineteenth century offers a more nuanced look at the continuity and change of policies in this pivotal urban setting. Beginning in the 1820s and continuing into the 1870s, Savannah’s resourceful government leaders acted enthusiastically and aggressively to establish transportation links and to construct a modern infrastructure. Taking the long view of financial risk, the city/municipal government invested in an ever-widening array of projects—canals, railroads, harbor improvement, drainage— because of their potential to stimulate the city’s economy. Denmark examines how this ideology of over-optimistic risk-taking, rooted firmly in the antebellum period, persisted after the Civil War and eventually brought the city to the brink of bankruptcy. The struggle to strike the right balance between using public policy and public money to promote economic development while, at the same time, trying to maintain a sound fiscal footing is a question governments still struggle with today.

The fascinating history of the Telfair, featuring 114 representative pieces of fine and decorative art from its vast collection, all superbly reproduced and thoroughly annotated.

Insiders' Guide to Savannah and Hilton Head is the essential source for in-depth travel and relocation information to these treasured Southern cities. Written by a local (and true insider), this guide offers a personal and practical perspective that makes it a must-have guide for travelers as well as residents looking to rediscover their home city of Savannah or nearby Hilton Head.

Damon Lee Fowler's critically acclaimed and award-nominated celebration of classic Southern cooking returns to print in a fully revised and updated edition. Hailed as a bible of Southern foodways and a major contribution to the literature of American culture, this compendium of more than two hundred traditional recipes broke new ground in food writing. Rooted in meticulous scholarship, a passion for good cooking, and a deep love for the unique culture of the South, Classical Southern Cooking presents the history and substance of this cuisine in a uniquely casual and anecdotal way that has earned it a reputation as a modern classic.