Domestic Life During the 1920's:
Images and Advertisements
The people of the 1920's turned to innovations for
entertainment, transportation and everyday activities.
Leisure and Entertainment:
After the completion of chores and other obligations, a family
would sit down to listen to a program on a radio like this:
Some families could afford a few unnecessary possessions like
this Brownie camera:
Domestic Inventions
The home was a woman's domain in the 1920's. Of course, one of
her many domestic activities would have included ironing. She may
have used a kerosene powered iron like this one:
Gasoline powered irons were also being marketed at this time, but
many housewives avoided them over concern that they were unsafe.
The kitchen also had it's share of new inventions. This cast iron
waffle iron was used on a charcoal stove to make breakfast. Notice
the heart-shaped patterns on the waffle iron.
Transportation
The mass manufacture of automobiles allowed many Americans to
purchase cars at a reasonable price. The 1920's were reaping the
benefits of the previous two decades in terms of tranportation. The
use of the automobile was rapidly expanding.
The Model T was first was first brought to the public's
attention when the Ford Company sent out the first of the brochures
to the car dealers on March 18, 1908. It said that the Model T was
the car of the future. It had a 4 cylinder engine that got 20 miles
to the gallon. This new Model T could reach a speed of 45 miles an
hour and go through sand, thick mud, and up steep hills. Nothing was
a match for its gears.
Henry Ford's dream was that everyone have a car. Ford was the first
to develop the full potential of mass production using the assembly
line. This new technique helped Ford to make literally millions of
these cars, and at a price that nearly everyone could afford. These men pose in front of the first car owned by William C. Halle
(left). Circa 1928
The Model T changed history. This car was made readily accessible
to almost anyone with a job, and with mass production and assembly
lines, Ford was able to make more than 200,000 Model T's a year for
19 years. Ford liked doing it not only for himself, but for the
people of America to have a chance to share in the experience of
driving a car.
