The U.S. experienced a Depression in 1929. The American economy collapsed and millions of people were out of jobs. The government's role during this time of economic crisis was to assist the citizens of this country in any way possible. This sometimes led to the development of experimental programs and projects. Greenbelt, Maryland, can be characterized as such. Greenbelt was a planned community designed to house low- to middle-income families. It attempted to provide a safe and cooperative environment where parents and children alike could live safely and harmoniously. It was built in 1936.
The Greenbelt museum is a model of the homes built after the Great Depression struck. It is a two-story cinderblock house and one of more than 800 homes. I will be taking a close look at the kitchen of the Greenbelt museum. First, I will examine a few of the various artifacts in the kitchen. Naturally, many of these artifacts have been replaced with new and improved models, thanks to technology. Secondly, I will talk about the woman's role in the kitchen and how this has obviously changed with modern times.
I will be linking to Nicole Richardson's examination of the role of women in Greenbelt in the post-Depression era.
I will also be linking to Neil Zuckerman's analysis of
the bathroom.
Before and during the time of the Great Depression, in the 1920s and the 1930s, the kitchen was a small space dedicated solely to the preparation of meals. The Greenbelt kitchen is an excellent example of such a kitchen. The kitchen in the Greenbelt museum is small; only one person can fit in there comfortably at one time. "Most urban kitchens designed during this period were square with floor space ranging from 9' X 10' in size to 10' X 12'." (Plante, 225) The counters are covered with kitchen accessories, ready to be used at any time. There is no pantry, only cabinets for limited storage. Small homes such as the one in Greenbelt did not have a lot of extra space. Each room was built to serve a basic purpose, not be luxurious. The aim was to house as many people as possible with the minimum amount of space possible. The cabinets are built into the wall. Everything is compact and neatly arranged. The walls and cabinets are painted a basic white to allow more light to enter the kitchen since it is so small. This is the basic kitchen.
In the early to mid 1930s, a revolution started to take place in the
kitchen. Whereas before, the kitchen was plain and simple, a new
emphasis on kitchen design, efficiency, appeal, and color was introduced.
Manufacturers of kitchen implements began to launch campaigns aimed for a
more pleasant, aesthetically attractive kitchen. Magazines were
especially important in promoting this new consumer behavior. Women
were encouraged to be proud of their space and decorate it in a manner
becoming to them. This included purchasing new and improved, as well as
colorful kitchen tools. "Written in a simple style and language women
could relate to, numerous advertisements encouraged women to buy
specific personal and household products." (Plante, 244) This phenomenon
took
place before the Great Depression struck. When it did, however, more
changes had to take place.
These are two of the implements you see on the counter in the
kitchen.
Now that we have seen some of the artifacts in the kitchen and gone
through their history and use, it's time to move on to another topic.
What was a woman's role in the kitchen during the Depression era? Was it
any different from a woman's role today?
The kitchen has always traditionally been the woman's space in the house. The woman has been responsible for the preparation of the food, the cleaning, and caring for the children. The man's traditional role was to earn the money to keep the household afloat. Since the man went to work everyday, it was therefore the woman's job to take care of the household duties while he was gone. This represented a good wife. A good wife would have the meal ready for the man when he got home. She would also coordinate the children's activities, including sending them to school in the morning, packing their lunches, supervising their after-school activities, and lastly putting them to bed at night.
The Greenbelt community was planned to harbor a feeling of community and
cooperation. The playground was centered between the houses, so that the
wife could look out of her window and check on them from time to time to
make sure they were safe. This way, she could continue with her
daily chores. In the 1920s, the word "housewife" was coined. This put
more emphasis on the woman's role of being the good wife and mate. Her
responsibility was to tie the family together. She was to keep herself
beautiful for her husband, as well as entertain him with thoughtful and
interesting conversation when he arrived home at night. She would
achieve this by participating actively in the community by attending
certain social events and volunteering in charity organizations.
Therefore, she had a dual role. Not only was she to concentrate on being
a good wife, but she was also to take care of the home. While servants
had been common in middle-class homes before to help with the heavy
household duties, the 1920s and 30s and the Depression changed all of
this. No longer was outside help affordable. In addition, this notion
was evident in the smaller, carefully organized kitchen which included
better electrical appliances which would reduce the amount of time the
woman would have to dedicate to cooking. "The modern down-sized kitchen
with planned work areas and electric appliances did away with the need
for servants" (Plante, 242).
Today's modern kitchen is generally much more spacious. Many new appliances and implements have been designed, such as the microwave and freezer. There is a wider variety of ready-to-eat foods as well. Just pop a frozen T.V. dinner into the microwave and you have a complete meal with a minimum amount of work. The woman is no longer confined to the kitchen for long hours to prepare elaborate meals.
The role for women has changed greatly as well. Today, in the 1990s, it is not uncommon to find many wives working outside of the home. They hold 9 to 5 jobs just as their husbands do. At the same time they take care of children, through the help of child care and or nannies and baby-sitters. Women are slowly gaining equal rights and having the same advantages as men. At the same time they are balancing the household work and the children.