Dishmasters & the American dream kitchen

Dishmaster was founded in 1948 – in the wake of World War II and during a period of massive American economic expansion. Before the war, most Americans lived on farms or in crowded cities. The country had suffered through nearly 20 years of deprivation, first from the Great Depression and then the war.

It’s hard to imagine today, but until 1946 the concept of a “fitted kitchen” full of matching cabinets and all the gizmo’s to go with them was a foreign – or at least unreachable – one to most Americans. During the war, technology rose to meet our fighting needs. After the war, we turned that know-how to building up our country. And that started first and foremost with new homes — and inside of them, with the American Dream Kitchen.

The Dishmaster is a very typical invention of the time. Automatic dishwashers were around – but were still quite rare in domestic environments. In many farm kitchens, you can imagine a Dishmaster being added to the new steel Youngstown sink base with its porcelain drainboard. In a new suburban kitchen, the atomic styling was mirrored in the headlights of the ’48 Ford – another famous ’48 model!

Dishmasters started in Pontiac, Mich. Gerity was a merchandising partner in the early years.

Today, the brand and tooling are owned by SilverStream LLC, which manufacturer the Dishmaster in Mitchell, Indiana, and offers it for sale online and at Amazon too: