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| POST-WAR PROSPERITY |
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| A KITCHEN OF
THE 50s |
| Milkmen delivered to the kitchen,
where milk products were stored,
prepared, and served to the family.
Advertising and media images of
the modern kitchen illustrated
processed foods, power appliances,
and the latest in kitchen design
and materials. |
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| After World War II, change came to the
milkman. The milkman was a familiar
character in the neighborhoods of small towns
and cities alike, and dairy products now held
an unquestioned place in the American diet.
Yet, refrigerators, supermarkets, suburban
sprawl, and automobiles threatened home
delivery. Consumers chose to live in different
places and get milk in different ways. In fact,
by the end of the 1950s, home delivery fell into
a decline and never recovered.
By the early 1950s, reliable power refrigeration
replaced ice boxes and revised the homemaker’s
job of buying and cooking for the household.
Perishable foods like milk could now be bought
in greater quantity and kept longer without
spoiling, more meals could be made from leftovers,
and frozen foods could replace fresh. The
milkman did not have to arrive every day in
order for the family to have unsoured milk. |
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| Milkmen and dairies
sought to please women as the
buyers and cooks of family food. |
Advertisement for the
General Electric Refrigerator
From McCall’s, April 1952
Advertisement for the
Westinghouse Refrigerator
From Good Housekeeping, April 1940 |
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