---
product_id: 45717747
title: "The Real Thing: Imitation and Authenticity in American Culture, 1880-1940"
brand: "miles orvell"
price: "$108.78"
currency: USD
in_stock: true
category: "Paperback"
url: https://www.desertcart.us/products/45717747-the-real-thing-imitation-and-authenticity-in-american-culture-1880
store_origin: US
region: United States of America
---

# The Real Thing: Imitation and Authenticity in American Culture, 1880-1940

**Brand:** miles orvell
**Price:** $108.78
**Availability:** ✅ In Stock

## Quick Answers

- **What is this?** The Real Thing: Imitation and Authenticity in American Culture, 1880-1940 by miles orvell
- **How much does it cost?** $108.78 with free shipping
- **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship
- **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.us](https://www.desertcart.us/products/45717747-the-real-thing-imitation-and-authenticity-in-american-culture-1880)

## Best For

- miles orvell enthusiasts

## Why This Product

- Trusted miles orvell brand quality
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## Description

In this classic study of the relationship between technology and culture, Miles Orvell demonstrates that the roots of contemporary popular culture reach back to the Victorian era, when mechanical replications of familiar objects reigned supreme and realism dominated artistic representation. Reacting against this genteel culture of imitation, a number of artists and intellectuals at the turn of the century were inspired by the machine to create more authentic works of art that were themselves "real things." The resulting tension between a culture of imitation and a culture of authenticity, argues Orvell, has become a defining category in our culture. The twenty-fifth anniversary edition includes a new preface by the author, looking back on the late twentieth century and assessing tensions between imitation and authenticity in the context of our digital age. Considering material culture, photography, and literature, the book touches on influential figures such as writers Walt Whitman, Henry James, John Dos Passos, and James Agee; photographers Alfred Stieglitz, Walker Evans, and Margaret Bourke-White; and architect-designers Gustav Stickley and Frank Lloyd Wright.

## Features

- The Real Thing Imitation and Authenticity in American Culture 1880 1940 Cultural Studies of the United States

## Images

![The Real Thing: Imitation and Authenticity in American Culture, 1880-1940 - Image 1](https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/41AsmgUh2oL.jpg)
![The Real Thing: Imitation and Authenticity in American Culture, 1880-1940 - Image 2](https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/31ofNmYiDSL.jpg)

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*Product available on Desertcart United States of America*
*Store origin: US*
*Last updated: 2026-05-19*