The House: An Object filled with Objects
Homes in the 1920s represented a transitional space, one that reflected the fluidity and rhythm of the age and the women of the middle class who occupied it. More specifically, the homes the middle class occupied reflected the changing landscape that these women felt. As consumerism seeped into the everyday lives of Americans, women found opportunities to have increased contact with the public sphere. The women, as shopper, as consumer, became more flexible than ever.
Aladdin Homes, The Sunshine, 1920s-30s
Houses in the 1920s, along with the objects that fill them, were, more often than not, purchased, in parts and out of boxes. Kits, like those offered from catalogs such as Sears and Roebuck and from the supplemental literature like Women’s Weekly’s “The Home”. On average, homes cost around $1,000 dollars. Transported via train, kits came in anywhere from 10,000 to 30,000 pieces.
Companies like Sears and Roebuck and Aladdin Homes profited from “capitalizing the new home” both ideologically and economically. For the first time the American home existed, to a great extent, out of a box. The homogenous quality of kit houses is reflected through the catalogues and magazines as well as in many other aspects of 1920s consumer culture. Editors of The Home argue, “Each house should seem to belong just where it is placed, should be a part of the surrounding country and its immediate environment.” Editors go on to say, “In other words, it should be made to fit into its immediate neighbor.”
The Home, 1923
The Home was a bound catalogue offered through Women’s Weekly. It included everything from domestic advice to home improvement tips to cooking information and menus. Catalogues such as these incorporated advertisements of consumer goods as well as plans for kit houses.