Symbols of Status - (Page 5 of 5)

Three other objects on this website are symbols of status. The Indian elephant goad operates within a highly controlled system of present-giving, khillat, expressing power-relations. It is symbolic, not useful, and its richness adds significance to the whole transaction. The tavern sign shows the aspirations of its owner Mr. Bott, who stands proudly outside his tavern surveying the activity in the town as though he is charge. John Bowes is even more interesting: insecure about his social position, he constructs a huge and visible statement of his wealth and taste - the Bowes Museum and its collections.