Buying respectability : philanthropy and urban society in transnational perspective, 1840s to 1930s

In 19th-20th-century Leipzig, Toronto, New York, and Boston, a newly emergent group of industrialists and entrepreneurs entered into competition with older established elite groups for social recognition as well as cultural and political leadership. The competition was played out on the field of philanthropy, with the North American community gathering ideas from Europe about the establishment of cultural and public institutions. The process of cultural borrowing and intercultural transfer shaped urban landscapes with the building of new libraries, museums, and social housing projects such as the Museum of Natural History and Metropolitan Opera House.The book has two parts; part one introduces the reader to the concept of intercultural transfer that serves as the theoretical framework throughout the book. The second part of the book focuses on how individuals and groups during this time period used philanthropy as a means of gaining recognition and social status.