1940s-1950s: New Features and the Deep Freeze
Prior to the U.S. entry into World War II, about half of families had a refrigerator. One writer estimated 56% of families had a refrigerator in 1940 (Strasser, 1983, p. 267), another indicated that 52% of families had mechanical refrigerators by 1942 (Cowan, 1983, p. 196), and a third indicated that roughly 45% of American homes had mechanical refrigeration in 1942 (Cowan, 1983, p. 139).
After the war, manufacturers returned to producing home appliances, and consumers had money to spend and pent-up demand. Varied designs and added features in the late 1940s and 1950s, like side-by-side and self-defrosting refrigerators, were also introduced (Appliance Design, 2002, Maytag Milestones; Kelvinator, http://www.kelvinator-intl.com/company-history). By 1950, the U.S. was the only country where domestic refrigeration was extensively used (Anderson, 1953, p. 1). In 1951, 80% of families reportedly had refrigerators, and, by 1980, it was virtually 100% (Cowan, 1983, p. 196).
Also in the 1940s and 1950s, enormous home freezers became popular with the increase in frozen food availability, but over time, the “deep freeze” has not been as popular as the refrigerator (Cohen, 1982, p. 27-28). By 1977, nearly half of electrified homes had a freezer (Strasser, 1983, p. 273).
Photos on this page:
Prior to the U.S. entry into World War II, about half of families had a refrigerator. One writer estimated 56% of families had a refrigerator in 1940 (Strasser, 1983, p. 267), another indicated that 52% of families had mechanical refrigerators by 1942 (Cowan, 1983, p. 196), and a third indicated that roughly 45% of American homes had mechanical refrigeration in 1942 (Cowan, 1983, p. 139).
After the war, manufacturers returned to producing home appliances, and consumers had money to spend and pent-up demand. Varied designs and added features in the late 1940s and 1950s, like side-by-side and self-defrosting refrigerators, were also introduced (Appliance Design, 2002, Maytag Milestones; Kelvinator, http://www.kelvinator-intl.com/company-history). By 1950, the U.S. was the only country where domestic refrigeration was extensively used (Anderson, 1953, p. 1). In 1951, 80% of families reportedly had refrigerators, and, by 1980, it was virtually 100% (Cowan, 1983, p. 196).
Also in the 1940s and 1950s, enormous home freezers became popular with the increase in frozen food availability, but over time, the “deep freeze” has not been as popular as the refrigerator (Cohen, 1982, p. 27-28). By 1977, nearly half of electrified homes had a freezer (Strasser, 1983, p. 273).
Photos on this page:
- The photo above was taken by Arthur Rothstein for the Tennessee Valley Authority. It shows young women being shown how to operate an electric refrigerator at the Farragut Agricultural School, Knox County, TN, in June 1942 (Farm Security Administration/Office of War Information Photo Collection, Library of Congress, http://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/owi2001006276/PP/).
- The first photo below shows a community refrigerator used by rural groups in conjunction with rural electrification projects in the early 1940s; the second photo shows consumers shopping for refrigerators at the Crowley-Milner department store in Detroit, MI, in 1941 before World War II. (Hover over photos in the rows below to see full information about the each photo's source.)
- The second row of photos, taken in 1942, shows the inside of a typical refrigerator and the kind of work it took to maintain one--vacuuming the motor and the need for defrosting. As the caption with the first photo said, "You'll probably find new friends during the war, but you may not find a new refrigerator, so keep yours in good condition."
- The third row illustrates refrigerators in use in 1942. In the first, a soldier stands in front of his refrigerator; in the second, the son of a U.S. Rural Electrification Administration cooperative member in Dunklin Co., MO, reaches in the fridge; and in the third, the family cat examines the inside of the fridge.
- The last two rows show an ad for a larger refrigerator from 1955, a side-by-side Foodarama refrigerator, and the popular turquoise and pink colors from the 1950s-1960s,
