The overall importance of this collection is immense as it helps to reopen discussion about a part of American history. The South seems to have been written off during this period after the Civil War leading up to the early-1900s as a region that was too backwards and decimated to recover in a timely manner. Many believed that the region now only contained poor Southerners who looked upon their Northerner counterparts with awe, however, the artifacts in this collection prove the opposite and demonstrate that there still existed a Southern Aristocracy and culture that survived the War and had a period of resurgence. The artifacts in this collection are a Bible from 1873, a portrait of a Southern aristocrat, and a painting of a Georgian estate.

            Most people in the North at the time and people in modern day America believe that the South was wholeheartedly dependent on the North during Reconstruction and after due to its lost in the war. “The old gentility and culture of Southern aristocracy- “Proud, rich and cultivated” even in the eyes of its enemy-was gone, as completely swept away as the nobility in the French Revolution” (Merton 17). It is important for people to understand that while there was widespread devastation and the emergence of lower classed people, there still existed aristocrats in the region.

            The artifacts are all interconnected because they help to accurately portray the sophistication and grandeur that still existed in the South. The Bible, not just the one in this collection but Bibles in general, have come to be a symbol of the South because of the religious fervor in the region. This Bible is especially important as it helps to characterize the people of the region and show just how important of a role religion played. A book such as this would have been a status symbol. This Bible was given as a gift to Frank H. McClung and as the inscription was written on December 25, it can only be assumed that this was a Christmas gift. The book itself is not a simple one and has hand painted gold accents that would demonstrate that this is not the average printed Bible that a lower classed person would own, and especially not something they would gift. Eyre & Spottiswoode, the publisher and printer of this book, were a company based in London and sold exclusively in Britain (Beckett). So the fact that Margaret White, the mother of Frank McClung and the person who gifted book would have to have either traveled to Britain or have the book imported to attain it. The book was not intended for her, however, and she gifted this item that undoubtedly costed a fair amount of money, to her son as a Christmas gift, something that an average poor Southerner at the time would not have been able to afford to do. This is a testament to the wealth and affluence of this family and subsequently of the aristocrats in the south.

            The painting of the Southern aristocratic woman demonstrates the disposable income and desire of these Southerners to still be able to live out their life of wealth and sophistication just as they had prior to the War. “Having a portrait painted is a time consuming and costly endeavor that was exclusively a luxury for those who could afford the cost of contracting the most elite of artists and had the free time to sit for hours and become immortalized on canvas” (Wendorf 47). The painting of this portrait contributes to the overall collection because it goes against the theory that everyone in the South was poor and could barely scrape by in life and instead showcased the wealth and sophistication that some Southerners were still able to hold onto.

            The final artifact is a painting of a large Georgian home painted in 1925 by a fairly popular artist known as Hugh Tyler. The most prevalent aspect of this artifact is simply that it is a large Southern home that spans across what seems to be acres of land, and perhaps this house could even have been the site of past plantation. “Their splendid mansions were burnt down…and their owners were wanderers upon the face of the earth, glad to earn a dollar to keep themselves” (Merton 17). As stated by the previous quote, many people assume that these large plantation homes and structures were either bombarded by canon shells during the war or burned to the ground towards the end of the war, similar in fashion to Sherman’s March to the Sea. These structures withstood these tests however and remained in the hands of wealthy Southerners who could afford to maintain ownership of the large and expensive homes. As the shrubbery and overall landscaping of the home seems to be in proper upkeep, it can only be assumed that the tenants of this home were wealthy enough to be able to afford to employ proper maintenance and upkeep around the estate. The overall importance of this artifact and what is brings to this collection is a sense of wealth and status that the upper class of the South still were able to enjoy.

            Many people believe the South to be nothing more than an empty shell of its former glory before the Civil War, but these three artifacts help onlookers to note the wealth and prestige that some Southerners were still able to enjoy during this time period. Though the South definitely had some setbacks, there still were people who either planned carefully enough or were able to bounce back from the War and Reconstruction.