The introduction of synthetic and semi-synthetic materials in the late 19th and early 20th centuries opened a world of new possibilities for consumer objects. The abundance of new goods ushered in a new age of consumption: one in which identities were not only expressed through material culture, but could be actively made through material culture. One avenue that has not been thoroughly explored is the role of synthetic and semi-synthetic objects in negotiating both association with and distance from different forms of identity in the archaeological record. This article explores the cultural connotations underlying a small find recovered from a working class household in the anthracite coal company town of Eckley, Pennsylvania. Using the example of a celluloid lice comb, the author discusses the ways that mass production fundamentally changed status signaling in the Western world at the beginning of the 20th century and offers thoughts on improving our interpretations of the social consequences of objects within historical archaeological research.

中文翻译：

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人造材料和理想身份：宾夕法尼亚无烟煤地区的赛璐ul梳子和工人阶级的梦想

在19世纪末和20世纪初，合成材料和半合成材料的引入为消费品打开了一个新的世界。新产品的大量出现开启了一个新的消费时代：一个身份不仅可以通过物质文化来表达，而且可以通过物质文化来积极地进行。尚未充分探索的一种途径是合成和半合成对象在协商考古记录中与不同身份形式的关联和距离方面的作用。本文探讨了从无烟煤煤矿公司宾夕法尼亚州埃克利镇的一个工人阶级家庭中发现的少量发现所蕴含的文化内涵。以赛璐虱梳为例，