Introduction:

Before the mid-1700s, few households had cupboards. Instead, colonists stored their goods in a chest—a storage piece that kept goods safe, but also kept them out of view. By the mid-1700s, the corner cupboard became a common feature in average American homes. It did more than store goods—the chest had done that just as well, if not better. More importantly, it allowed people to display their goods while also storing them.

From: T. H. Breen, Marketplace of Revolution: How Consumer Politics Shaped American Independence (New York: Oxford University Press, 2004), 46.

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