Household Design of the 1950's

Russel Wright is an American industrial designer and architect that lived during the early to mid twentieth century. Many of Wright’s ideas and designs were considered to modern at time, drawing influences from not only ingenious designers like Frank Lloyd Wright but nature as well. Wright’s influences would lead him to create a design style unlike any at the time; a style that would eventually become almost standard in many homes in the United States. The designer Russel Wright and his wife, Mary Wright together published a guidebook known as Guide to Easier Living. In it contains numerous suggestions and thoughts on home architecture, interior design, as well as product design. Many of the thoughts and suggestions conveyed in the book can be seen in present-day design and architecture. Wright’s book also laid the groundwork for his home, Dragon Rock, which of itself possesses elements of design that are seen in today’s homes. Russel Wright’s Guide to Easier Living is clearly a response to interior design at the time; containing numerous design ideas, Wrights guide influences Wright’s own future works.

The bungalow design was influenced by a variety of social and economic trends that expanded the middle class and became a powerful means of transformation in American society. Arts and Crafts promoters associated the bungalow design with creative manual work, independence, and a way to return to manhood of common work practices. The bungalow

Once working citizens had started to receive higher salaries, they could afford more and nicer items than they would have otherwise. According to Daily life… (Kaldin, 2000) the average working man could buy a split-level house on display. In one year, the overage woman bought nine dresses and suits and 14 pairs of shoes. New appliances had also been invented during the 1950s. These appliances were simple in design with basic designs that reflected a new style of European modernism. The 1950s brought a “populux age “to America- a time when every appliance had handles or was easy to lift. Because of this, most appliances and technology could be moved around the house. This was just one of the advances in

By 1920, the landscape is changing from rural dwellers to city dwellers and people living in cities outnumber rural dwellers for the first time. Sears has emerged as the dominant design of mail order for both rural and city dwellers, but increasing competition from

The newly independent United States was the “Pioneer in developing mass-production techniques” (p. 413), which revolutionized industry throughout the modern world. The assembly line, crafted by Henry Ford, as well as advanced mechanical devices exemplified by the steel industry lead to mass production of goods that was previously unfathomable.

Through the major influences of mass consumption within domesticity roles in Australian and American families, materialistic items including the family car and the introduction of the television where perceived as the central element of the family during the post-war period. Within America during the 1950’s, there was a sudden rise of new home building causing a major influence within the economy as families, especially middle class families were receiving an improved income under the leadership of President Truman , allowing families to indulge in materialist items including the family car. Through Cold war threats and anxieties American ideas of domesticity where shaped around the concept of the American dream which was expressed within American film, television and literature to ease these pressures .

Technology was booming and created opportunities for both men and women and aided the everyday household with what we call today, necessities. “In 1912, only 16 percent of American households had electricity; by the mid-20s, almost two-thirds did. Overnight, the electric vacuum cleaner, the electric refrigerator and freezer, and the automatic washing machine became staples in middle-class homes”

Some historians have argued that 1950s America marked a step back for the advancement that women made during WWII. What contributed to this “return to domesticity” and do you believe that the the decade was good or bad for women?

American middle class life was greatly influenced throughout 1870-1917. There were many profound changes, however the American industrialization and urbanization were the most rapid and unquestionably the most important. The industrialist brought forth household names that are still around today such as Swift, Armour, Westinghouse, Pillsbury, Pullman, Rocketfeller, Carnegie, and Duke. Due to the rapid movement of industrialization, so began a movement of urbanization. Between 1860 and 1910, urban population increased sevenfold and by the 1920’s more than half of all Americans lived in cities. Along with the cities came more use of electricity, electric lights, telephones, and eventually appliances. Appliances

When Korean veterans returned from the fighting, everyone was overjoyed to be reunited with their loved ones after two huge, deadly wars.

Henry Ford once said, “If everything is moving forward together then success takes care of itself”. Society has been revising how we live for centuries and still continues to do so. Naturally, we look for ways to improve humanity and make the world a better place to live. One critical contributor to the success of society in the 1920s was Henry Ford. Henry Ford’s ingenuity gave birth to something that would revolutionize society for years to come. This was the beginning of a new era. Henry Ford’s automobiles revolutionized civilization in many aspects. Innovations in technology and how it’s made impacted people’s lives in the 1920s and modern-day life.

In today's society, having the biggest and best products is valued above everything else. From new technology, to homes, and even automobiles -nothing is off limits to our ever-growing expectations. This growing trend of owning bigger and better things without being satisfied is more apparent in today’s society than ever before, and it doesn't seem to be ending anytime soon. The need to have the newest products is“stuffing us up” and creates a problem for future generations. The article “Swollen Expectations”, written by John De Graaf, David Wann, and Thomas H. Naylor, provides some interesting insight into the standard of living in past generations. I also conducted an interview with my father, asking him a series of questions about life when he was younger, material possessions, and how he has seen it all evolve throughout the years.

In the 1920s, also known as the Roaring Twenties, many new household appliances came out to American consumers. One of them was the electric powered washing machine that clean clothes in an efficient and easy way. This product, the Thor, was a drum like washer with a tub and a electric motor and was created by Alva J. Fisher in 1908 (Bellis). Also,a vacuum cleaner is an electric tool used to suction up dust and small objects on floors. This tool was created by Hubert Cecil Booth and David T. Kenney in 1901 by using air for the separation of dirt (Green). Another appliance, the electric refrigerator, is a tool that keeps your food and drinks cold and fresh. The refrigerator was invented by Fred W. Wolf in 1913 and was a icebox with a refrigeration unit connected to the top (Chapman). All of these appliances made the twenties roar because it made labor easier around the household.

The Manuscripts and Archives Department is pleased to announce the opening of an important new design collection. The Everett Worthington Inc. records showcase the career of an industrial designer who worked his modern art deco designs into wood, plastic, and metal objects. Worthington's influence at world's fairs and expositions across the United States from 1915 through 1938 familiarized consumers with his designs. Radio cabinets, clocks, interior design panels, furniture styled with wood accents, and the intricate work in automotive interiors, are examples of his fine craftsmanship. Gillette Safety Razor Company’s newly designed dry shaver and travel case, complete with new packaging, anchored the firm in the personal care arena of

In today’s art world there seems to be a large gap that separates fine art from commercial art. Often there is a disconnected coldness associated with those who work in communications art and produce art for clients. As if all emotion and feeling is stripped from commercial artwork merely because it was created with the intention of pleasing a client. Stefan Sagmeister bridges the gap in the art industry by redefining commercial design as a personal, emotional, and deep art. While Sagmeister’s work encompasses a vast spectrum of mediums such as, album covers, logos, installations, and posters it is his philosophy on design that