 The hostess performed the conflicting roles of both entertaining the guests and cooking, which involved her in both front and backstage regions of the home.A rise in interest of home furnishings for 19th-century middle-class Britain and US meant there was a higher demand for furniture in department stores and furniture shops.Capitalizing on the power of the wealthy class to whom they appealed, retailers took advantage of cheaply available printing methods and began selling retail catalogues.