Please note: Laura has left the "History" group at Duke University; some info here might not be up to date.
Office Location: | 013 Allen Building |
Office Phone: | +1 919 684 6803 |
Email Address: |
Typical Courses Taught:
PhD | Duke University | 2000 |
MA | Duke University | 1995 |
BA | Wellesley College | 1992 |
Current projects: My current project's working title is "Parlor Portraits: Depictions of Interiors and Nineteenth-Century Russian Salon Cultures"
My research focuses on nineteenth-century Russian salons from a number
of different angles. I'm currently examining how notions of leisure
played out in aristocratic salons. Another topicis how elements of
consumer culture such as decor, dress, and display, influenced salon
participants and salon etiquette. Nineteenth-century paintings of domestic interiors, particularly depictions of parlors, are of particular interest for these projects.
Another area of focus is in guiding undergraduates through the processes of historical research.
I am also fascinated by contemporary British designers' use of historicism.