As part of my continued work on the Encyclopedia, I just published a page on the introduction of Hotpoint aluminum kitchen cabinets in 1948 — rare indeed! Check it out here.
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carolyn says
What appeals to me with these catalogs is first the line drawings. I don’t know if women a that time looked so fresh and crisp every day or if I’m just so used to yoga pants and sayings T-shirts. Even when they did spring cleaning, they had their dungarees rolled up and a kerchief covering their head.
Another thing that strikes me is that these layouts seem well-thought out. Think of all the goodies you could whip up without breaking a sweat because everything was conveniently at your fingertips. This was still in the scientific age.
CarolK says
Carolyn, middle class women probably did not dress as casually on a weekday (or any day for that matter) as we do today. Most women did wear skirts and dresses most of the time and likely were back to wearing stockings now that the war was over. They also wore aprons to keep their dresses from getting dirty. IOW, these illustrations are probably not too far off the mark for the middle class woman in the late 40s.
I used to have some of my grandmother’s calico aprons that I loved to wear when I baked. I still were an apron when I am seriously cooking, but those aprons mysteriously disappeared years ago.
People like to criticize June Cleaver (Barbara Billingsley) for what she wore on Leave It to Beaver. June was appropriately attired for a woman of her class in the late 50s/early 60s. Miss Billingsley said that she always wore a choker because she had a scar on her neck that wanted to cover up.
carolyn says
CarolK – I remember hearing stories of “Come as you are” parties. The hostess would knock on your back door at some ungodly hour in the middle of breakfast. If you were still in your robe with curlers in your hair, that’s how you were supposed to come to the party.
Maybe it was a way to encourage getting yourself ready to face the day but I thought “If these are friends, who needs enemies!”
I can’t remember my mom or aunts since I was one of the younger kids when moms were getting back into the workforce when the youngest were in school full time. I DO know the older ladies always wore dresses, hose & oxford shoes with a little heel even in winter.
Ranger Smith says
The fourth picture appears to include a dishwasher. I think that would be quite advanced for this period.
Pam Kueber says
Yes, and it’s a good bet it was a Hotpoint dishwasher!
Ranger Smith says
Ah, interesting. Thanks for that.
Miki Landis says
In searching for steel cabinets locally to restore my 1952 ranch home’s galley kitchen, I came across a full set of aluminum cabinets that I purchased even though I’d only been looking for a couple more steel uppers. It had been advertised at metal cabinets so I was expecting steel. They are Olympia and in original finish (many of the steel cabinets I’ve found have been painted over) and in great shape!!! The under sink cabinet isn’t actually a cabinet, but a front and base plate that connect to the cabinets beside it since the sink covers the entire top. My steel under sink cabinet is a full cabinet set up with no top for the sink and large holes in the back for pipes. It was a great little find!!
Pam Kueber says
Yes, Olympia is in the Encyclopedia, and we have a story on this brand!
https://retrorenovation.com/2016/04/11/79-brands-metal-kitchen-cabinets-one-aluminum/
and
https://retrorenovation.com/2011/06/14/our-74th-brand-of-vintage-metal-cabinets-olympia-aluminum-kitchen-kabinet/
Marsha Fogarty says
This is my kitchen! Our house was built in 1948. We’ve been here for 25 years. Cabinets had several coats of paint on them, we had them sandblasted and powder coated years ago. The powder coat people protected the Hotpoint logo on the front of the sink section. There are condition issues. We’re moving them to the basement laundry room and getting new kitchen cabinets.
Marsha Fogarty says
There was also a 42″ hotpoint electric range in the kitchen that I now believe was original. We used that for about 10 more years, and at that time GE still had the range, but we replaced with a standard 30″.