The Latent Racism of the Better Homes in America Program
How Better Homes in America—a collaboration between Herbert Hoover and the editor of a conservative women’s magazine—promoted idealized whiteness.
Co-Living, the Hot New Trend of 1898
Chicago's "Eleanor Clubs" were designed to give young, working women affordable and congenial places to live.
A Phrenologist’s Dream of an Octagon House
Orson S. Fowler thought houses without right angles would offer a better life, but his own architectural experiments did not end well.
The Decadent Art of Butter Sculpture
Butter sculpture is a fixture of American state fairs. The practice of using food as a medium for art dates back centuries.
The Invention of the Family Room
The family room was a post-WWII invention, a sign of new affluence and middle class aspirations.