section one: profiles - Grey House Publishing

SECTION ONE: PROFILES
Family of Four Depend on Ford Motor Company Job
The decade leading up to the 1940s, certainly a roller coaster for so many Americans, was less
so for those who depended on automobile factory jobs. No matter the economy, many Americans
were unwilling to give up the luxury afforded by an automobile, and the lifestyle of families like
the Broos family was typical throughout the decade.
Life at Home
• The Broos family—mother, father and two daughters, 10 and 15 years old—lived in Detroit,
Michigan, where Pete Broos worked for Ford Motor Company.
• The family lived in a five-room flat with three bedrooms, two common rooms, and a bathroom. Hot
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water was available from the tap in both the kitchen and bathroom, and running water was available
in the yard.
The flat also included a sink and a sewer connection.
Peter and his wife Miriam thought about purchasing a home but were afraid to make the
commitment of buying a house with its increased costs.
Also, most mortgage lenders required a 30 percent down payment on a house, and most mortgage
loans were for 10 years, which sometimes included a balloon payment, putting the payments out of
reach.
Peter and Mary were both third-generation Dutch, and prided themselves on controlling their
expenses and living within their means.
When the Depression began, Ford actually increased hourly wages, but rumors of layoffs persisted.
Food was the family’s greatest expense—about 32 percent of Peter’s income.
Eating out was too expensive for the family; only Peter ate lunches out.
They used ice in the summer for the icebox; and the coolness of the cellar in the winter.
Beef roast and apples and oranges were a few
of the family’s favorite things to eat.
Popular vegetables at the Broos’ table were
potatoes, tomatoes and cabbage, and their
food budget included some liquor and beer.
Mary bought some fashionable knee high
skirts, but wore them sparingly only in the
summer, because Peter didn’t approve.
Peter’s two suits and Mary’s three dresses
were worn only on special occasions, due to
the high cost of having them cleaned.
The Broos family home had central heating, Peter Broos worked for Ford Motor Company.
not uncommon, but still a luxury for a majority of families who worked in the factory.
They also had a washing machine, which was purchased on an installment plan.
Mary had time to be involved in a number of church groups, due largely to the time saved by devices
like the washing machine.
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SECTION TWO: HISTORICAL SNAPSHOTS
The decade leading up to 1940 was full of fits and starts: Depression to stable economy; Stable
economy to Depression; Joblessness to innovation; Male dominated careers to female workers;
Homebaked cookies to Pepperidge Farm. These years represented huge shifts in just about every
industry and every phase of life in America. These Historical Snapshots highlight significant “firsts”
as America travelled toward 1940, ignoring the speed limit or the fasten your seatbelt light.
Early 1930s
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Unemployment passed four million
More than 1,352 banks closed
The first analog computer was placed in operation by Vannevar Bush
U.S. had one passenger car per 5.5 persons
Gasoline consumption rose to nearly 16 billion gallons
Trousers became acceptable attire for women who played golf and rode horses
Radio set sales increased to 13.5 million
Advertisers spent $60 million on radio commercials
Boeing hired eight nurses to act as flight attendants
Fortune Magazine was launched by Henry R. Luce, costing $1.00 per issue
The University of Southern California polo team refused to play against the University of California
at Los Angeles until its one female member was replaced by a male
Laurette Schimmoler of Ohio became the first woman airport manager, earning $510 a year
The movie industry employed 100,000 people
Alka-Seltzer was introduced by Miles Laboratories
Clairol hair products were introduced by U.S. chemists
Bird’s Eye Frosted Foods were sold nationally for the first time
The International Apple Shippers Association gave 6,000 jobless men surplus apples on credit to sell
for $0.05 on street corners
The Big Trail, starring John Wayne, All Quiet on the Western Front, The Blue Angel, Monte Carlo, and
Hell’s Angels all premiered
Jean Harlow became a blonde for her role in Hell’s Angels
Hostess Twinkies, Snickers, sliced Wonder Bread, Jiffy biscuits, windshield wipers, Plexiglas and
Fortune magazine all made their first appearance
The Greta Garbo look was replacing the flapper style of Clara Bow
As I Lay Dying by William Faulkner and The 42nd Parallel by John Dos Passos were published; Lincoln
by Emil Ludwig was a bestseller
The first all-air commercial New York-to-Los Angeles transport began by Transcontinental and West
Airlines
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Section Three: Economy Of The Times / 1939
1939
National Consumer Expenditures
(per capita)
Auto Parts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $3.82
Auto Usage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $39.69
Clothing. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $45.03
Dentists . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $3.05
Furniture . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $6.87
Gas and Oil . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $16.79
Health Insurance. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $1.53
Housing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $71.74
Intercity Transport. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $3.05
Local Transport . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $6.87
New Auto Purchase . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $12.21
Personal Business. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $24.42
Personal Care. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $13.74
Physicians . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $6.87
Private Education and Research . . . . . . . . . . . $4.58
Recreation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $26.71
Religion/Welfare Activities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $7.63
Telephone and Telegraph . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $4.58
Tobacco . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $13.74
Utilities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $23.66
Per Capita Consumption. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $511.34
Annual Income, Standard Jobs
All Industries, w/o Farm Labor . . . . . . . . . . . $1,346
All Industries, w/Farm Labor . . . . . . . . . . . . $1,266
Bituminous Coal Mining. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $1,197
Building Trades, Union Workers . . . . . . . . . . $1,268
Domestics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $544
Farm Labor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $436
Federal Civilian . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $1,843
Federal Employees,
Executive Departments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $1,137
Federal Military . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $1,134
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This Is Who We Were: A Companion to the 1940 Census
Section Four: All Around Us
This Is Who We Were: A Companion to the 1940 Census
Buying Drapery Fabrics, How to Make Draperies, Slip Covers, Cushions and Other Home
Furnishings the Modern Singer Way, 1934: Drapery fabrics rather than dress fabrics are invariably
better suited to draperies, especially in texture and color. Fabrics of similar weight and texture often cost less in
the drapery department than in the dress fabric department, and the designs are usually more suitable. There
are, however, many fabrics obtainable in the dress fabric department that are desirable to use, such as calico,
gingham, unbleached muslin and organdie. On the other hand, dotted Swiss, silks for draperies, cretonne and
casement cloths should be purchased in the drapery department.
“From Inner Tubes to Rubber Dollies,” by Mabel Dunlap,
Junior Home for Parent and Child, March 1934:
Do you remember the little girl who sang, “My mother told me that she would buy me a
rubber dollie if I’d be good”? Well, you can make these rubber dolls yourself. And you can
wash them and dress them as well!
Get a worn-out inner tube and wash it well so that you will not soil your dress while working on
it. A light-colored tube makes Suki and Eva; and a black one, Mammy and Topsy. The big picture
of Eva, Figure 1, may be used as an idea for each doll. And each doll has a front and back just
alike. Fill the inside with cotton or cloth and sew the doll together with a rather large needle and
strong thread. The hair and features of Suki and Eva may be drawn with India ink. The lips, of
course, are made with red ink. The dotted lines give you an idea for the dress. You can, of
course, make changes for the different dolls. Suki’s and Mammy’s dress will be longer than the
other two. Mammy’s head kerchief is a triangle of bright cloth, three by five inches. Her shawl
collar is a bigger square of white cloth, and her apron is just a rectangle of white cotton. Sew this
into a long, narrow strip that serves as the ties. Her dress might be bright red. Make her two
little earrings of bright-colored paper and attach them to her kerchief.
For the black faces, cut the eyes and mouths from the light-colored rubber. (Color the mouths
red with white centers, and eyes are shown in Figures 4 and 5). Glue them to the black faces.
Topsy’s pigtails should be cut in one piece with the head, and little red string bows form her
ribbons. Her dress might be dark blue, with several bright patches on it. And her belt might be
just a string.
Suki, the little Japanese doll, might be dressed in yellow with a bright-colored sash tied at the
back. With Crayolas or ink, make a circle on the front and back of her dress, something like
the one shown in Figure 3.
In making the dresses for Topsy and Eva, simply cut the sleeves shorter. Highlights on the faces
of Topsy and Mammy may be made with white ink, or you can cut small pieces from the
light-colored rubber and glue them on. Make Eva’s dress from any pretty material you may
have. If you have some narrow lace, you might put that around the neck, sleeves and bottom
of the skirt. All the dresses will have openings in order to get them on the dollies!
The Plight of the Bituminous Coal Miner, by Homer Lawrence Morris, Ph.D.: “I ain’t had a regular
job for four years and I’ve only been able to pick up odd jobs on the road. I’ve only had 11 days’ work, and that
on the road, during the past year. I own a four-room house and lot but I gotta pay $9.00 taxes on it and I ain’t
got the money to pay it. When a man has been out of work as long as I have, he loses his heart to do anything.”
West Virginia Coal Miner, 1934.
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This Is Who We Were: A Companion to the 1940 Census
Section Five: 1940 Census Summary & Comparison Data
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Section Five: 1940 Census Summary & Comparison Data
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This Is Who We Were: A Companion to the 1940 Census