Museum exhibit highlights changes in housekeeping

An antique electric washer comes with a hand-cranked wringer for squeezing the last drop of water out of wet clothes. The iron is gasoline powered. Clothes dry on lines outside and even freeze in the winter. Such sights were commonplace during the Great Depression and World War II, but today these items can only be found in dusty basement corners and on display in museums.\nThis scene is part of the laundry room display in a temporary exhibit at the Monroe County History Center. This exhibit, titled "What Did You Do Today, Dear?" has been on display since late February and closes May 30. Its goal is to show patrons what items were at the disposal of a homemaker during the 1930s and 1940s and how much these items -- as well as the roles of women at home -- have changed since then.\nGraduate student Carrie Hertz, the MCHC's collections assistant, said the Collections and Exhibits Committee is in charge of obtaining the items from various sources.\n"Most of the artifacts in this exhibit have been donated by locals," Hertz said. "Some of it even belongs to members of the museum staff. Older patrons feel a lot of nostalgia when they see the displays."\nIn addition to the laundry room scene, other displays include two kitchens and a dining room. The kitchen scenes include an early toaster and a "Hoosier cabinet" made in Bloomington. One table is set for baking. The other is set for mealtime, with blue and green fiesta dishes that were popular during World War II.\nThe dining room display includes a wooden table and chair set and carpet-cleaning agents, including an early vacuum and carpet sweeper. These scenes also include catalog advertisements for the items.\nTwo display cases are filled with items encouraging the viewer to guess their use. Some of these items are quite perplexing until one understands the context they were used in. This includes a soap shaver (used to make flakes from soap so it can dissolve easier) and a cutter used to scrape corn off the cob.\nRachael Himsel, education, membership and volunteer coordinator at the center, said in addition to showing how appliances have changed, patrons also get a sense of how technological advancements have changed the work women needed to do in their homes.\n"It's important for people to see how far women have come," Himsel said. "As appliances became easier and quicker to use, women gained more freedom. They didn't have to be stuck in the kitchen all day."\nTo further accentuate this change, a TV near the exhibit continuously plays an episode of the History Channel's Modern Marvels called "Household Wonders."\nMuseum staffers said the exhibit doesn't present a one-sided view of homemaking as being oppressive or menial. After all, during this time period, women tried to fulfill the important task of keeping their families happy and healthy during the scarcity of the Great Depression and the uncertainty of World War II. \nA quote on display sums up this point.\n"There isn't anything more honorable or that takes more ability than being a homemaker," said Julie Martin in "Voices of American Homemakers," a book written by Eleanor Arnold. "A housekeeper keeps a house clean, cooks meals. But a homemaker does it with love."\nThe Monroe County History Center is located at 202 E. Sixth St. For more information about the exhibit or volunteer opportunities, call 332-2517.\n-- Contact staff writer Jorie Slodki at jslodki@indiana.edu.