Period room explained

A period room is a display that represents the interior design and decorative art of a particular historical social setting usually in a museum. Though it may incorporate elements of an individual real room that once existed somewhere, it is usually by its nature a composite and fictional piece.^{[1] [2]} Period rooms at encyclopedic museums may represent different countries and cultures, while those at historic house museums may represent different eras of the same structure.^[3] As with the glamorization of luxury in costume drama, this can be considered as a conservative genre that traditionally privileges Eurocentric elite views.^[4]

In the 21st century, the focus has shifted toward using period rooms in new ways^[5] or in diversifying them.^[6]

Notes and References

1. Book: Craven, Wayne. Gilded Mansions: Grand Architecture and High Society. 2009. W. W. Norton & Company. 978-0-393-06754-5. 119. en.
2. Web site: What are period rooms, really? –– Minneapolis Institute of Art. 2022-02-14. new.artsmia.org.
3. Web site: 2019-03-21. Reconsidering the period room as a museum-made object. 2022-02-14. OUPblog. en.
4. Web site: Representing the Complicated History of American Interiors. 2022-02-14. www.metmuseum.org.
5. News: Loos. Ted. 2013-02-21. Setting a Place for History. en-US. The New York Times. 2022-02-14. 0362-4331.
6. Web site: Migan. Darla. 2021-11-15. Period Rooms Usually Glorify the Aristocracy. With Its New Afrofuturist Room, the Met's Approach Is Different. 2022-02-14. Artnet News. en-US.