At the turn of the nineteenth century, the average American family still lived by kerosene light, ate in the kitchen, and used an outhouse. By 1940, electric lights, dining rooms, and bathrooms were the norm as the traditional working-class home was fast becoming modern. Examining the physical evidence of America’s working-class houses, this session expands our understanding of how widespread domestic improvement transformed the lives of Americans in the modern era.
Thomas Hubka's book recommended but not required: How the Working Class Home Became Modern, 1900–1940
