Between World Wars

Tucus and Maetta Smith,
My Great-Grandparents, late 1930s.

           The era of the 1920s and 1930s is a time that has fascinated me ever since hearing my great-grandfather tell me endless stories of his growing up immediately following World War One.  As a former history student, I see the generation that came of age in the 20s and 30s as completely unique, the young lives shaped by the ending of the Great War through the decade of the Great Depression.  When skimming countless articles from Time and Life of the 1920s and 1930s, I noticed the distinct qualities about families and children as they grew in the era. 

            One 1937 Life article in particular detailed the lives and homes of four families across America.  The documentation of the homes of families of varying incomes showed glimpses into the lives of the children, how they grew up.  One difference I noticed about the portrayal of the families today verses in the 20s and 30s was the extent that traditional gender roles dominated family life in the 1920s and 1930s.  The mothers of the families were always pictured in the kitchen or in the garden, while the fathers were shown playing ball or on the telephone.  Children and youth of the 20s and 30s grew up believing that these traditional gender roles were immovable, reasonable, even preordained.  I can see this mindset in my great-grandfather as he attempts to care for his house following the passing my great-grandmother.  After over 65 years of marriage in which my great-grandmother looked after everything in the home, my great-grandfather, now 93, doubts his ability to clean or cook anything at all.

Tucus and Maetta, 2005

            Another difference that jumped from the pages of Time was the nature of the advertisements.  They seemed to have no scientific or rational basis, making off-the-wall claims about average products such as toothpaste or shaving cream.  One example, from a 1925 edition of Time, on ad claimed that using Colgate toothpaste lessened chances for malnutrition, which doesn’t make a lot of sense in my mind.

            Overall, it was very interesting to glimpse into the society of the 1920s and 30s.  I was excited to read about events and people from history that I was familiar with and glad to see more about the time in which my great-grandfather came of age and started his quaint family.