Networks of Supply and Elite Consumers in England and Germany, c. 1750–1830

Abstract This comparative study explores the consumption practices and systems of supply of elite families in England and Germany from the middle of the eighteenth into the early nineteenth century. The paper focuses on three key elements of elite consumption – silverware, livery, and wine – to tease out important aspects of the elite’s use of consumer goods as a means of self-expression and for the construction of status. The study identifies important differences as well as similarities between English and German retail systems and in doing so further questions the notion of a single model of retail development: Germany was not a stage behind England on a linear development trajectory, but was instead characterised by a dispersed yet integrated system of retail centres. The complex interplay of local, regional and national systems of supply highlighted in this study has implications far beyond these elite families and invites a reassessment of the prevalent notions of consumption history.