20 Vintage Photographs That Show What Life Was Really Like For Housewives In The Mid-1900s

Today’s woman might look back on the 1950s housewife and scoff. The idea of staying home, cooking, cleaning, taking care of the children, and not working wouldn’t necessarily sit well with her. But that viewpoint comes from those who didn’t live the mid-century lifestyle. These pictures give a better idea of what it was really like for housewives during this time – and it wasn’t quite as compartmentalized as women today might think.

20. Trying out the latest in home decor

A housewife had to make her house a home, and that job didn’t just require her to cook, clean, and do the laundry. She was also responsible for its interior design, and that’s why the woman pictured has curled up in an armchair that flaunted 1953’s most modern styling.

19. Roasting the perfect turkey

Thanksgiving Day feasts call for a turkey at the center of the table – and that bird had better be roasted to perfection. We imagine that this mid-century housewife had her cooking method down to a science because she’s pulling one perfect-looking piece of poultry out of her oven.

18. Daydreaming in the kitchen

With so much time spent cooking and cleaning – all by herself – the mid-century housewife certainly had the opportunity to daydream. And apparently she sometimes did so while leaning on her mop!

17. Preserving her wardrobe

Some people may romanticize 1950s housewives, but their routine wasn’t so glamorous. Washing, drying, ironing: a lot of the classic housewife’s jobs revolved around her and her family’s wardrobe. This photo shows a clothes-centric task in which a woman pours mothballs into a bag to hang in her closets, thus protecting garments from the insects.

16. Searching for the perfect hat

Every housewife needs a bit of pampering. And in the case of the mid-century housewife, self-care might’ve seen them go shopping for a fancy hat. By the looks of it, though, this woman was not impressed by the hat she sampled in a Parisian shop in 1951.

15. Frequenting the beauty salon

Fortunately, the mid-century housewife did get to pamper herself from time to time. Modern women know just how rejuvenating a trip to the salon can be, and arguably it may have been even more of a reprieve for their housebound mid-century counterparts. Here, a line of them are having their hair dried.

14. Whipping up a family breakfast

Nowadays, most of us grab breakfast and run out of the door in the morning. But in the 1950s, life was different in at least one way: families sat down for a full meal before starting their days. This picture shows a housewife serving up a hearty breakfast for her three kids and her husband.

13. Picking up a sweet treat (or three)

A housewife didn’t have to bake every dessert she served to her family. This woman stopped by a bakery to pick up what appears to be a trio of Norwegian Kransekakes, stacked confections served to mark special occasions.

12. Going for a country drive

Every housewife needed – and needs – to let her hair down every once in a while. This picture shows a woman off-duty, taking a ride through the countryside with her husband at the wheel.

11. Partaking in an old-school recycling scheme

Today we have regimented recycling schemes in most of our cities and hometowns. In the 1940s, though, housewives in London had to go and sort their paper, cans, bottles and jars as part of a salvage scheme set up much more simply than our current collection services.

10. Packing the freezer

TV dinners became all of the rage in the 1950s after Swansons repackaged its excess turkey into airplane-style trays of food. It’s unclear if this housewife is stocking her freezer with the ready-made meals, but she’s certainly thrilled about whatever it is that she’s putting on ice.

9. Mangling her laundry – in a good way

In the mid-1950s, some women did still benefit from some help with their laundry – but it came from an old and trusted appliance, rather than from their husbands. The mangle sped up the clothes-drying process by squeezing all of the excess water out of washed garments.

8. Cultivating a victory garden

During the World Wars, people across the United States, Canada, Europe and Australia cultivated “Victory Gardens” in their yards, using their harvest to supplement their government-rationed food. This housewife and her kids clearly had plenty of success with their vegetables: cabbage, potatoes, parsnips, runner beans and more.

7. Filling the dishwasher-washing machine

For the few households of the 1940s lucky enough to be able to afford it, the invention of this early version of an automatic dishwasher must’ve been a godsend. Impressively, this particular device doubled as a clothes washer too: it had separate drums to be used for crockery and linen.

6. Antiquing

Vintage clothes and wares are very much in style nowadays. They must have been in the 1950s, too, considering this picture, which came from a Housewife Magazine photoshoot and took place in an antiques shop.

5. Baking a cake

With the help of her daughter, the housewife in this photo competed in Pillsbury’s Grand National Baking Contest with an original recipe: the “throw-together-oh-so-good” cake. She claimed she had invented the confection when she lost her glasses and couldn’t read the actual cake recipe she wanted to make – that’s a boss housewife move.

4. Plucking frozen laundry from the line

Leaving laundry to dry outside meant it was subjected to the elements. This housewife had the pleasant task of pulling frozen garments from her clothesline, including a completely solid set of Long Johns.

3. Fixing the plumbing

Some might think of mid-20th century housewives as dainty caretakers, but don’t let that stereotype fool you. Many of these women had serious skills, including the pictured American housewife Vicky Buchanan. While her husband served in the armed forces, she took over the household plumbing duties.

2. Putting her feet up after a long day

The responsibilities of being a wife and mother never end, but that doesn’t mean a housewife shouldn’t rest. This lady ditched all of her cleaning supplies to put her feet up on the couch, and we are going to go ahead and assume she deserved it.

1. Doing laundry for the troops

If this list has made one thing clear, it’s that mid-century housewives did a lot of laundry. And yet, this lady in Newcastle, England, still had time to help the troops with their wash in 1941. Now, that’s multitasking at its finest.