The Hoosier Cabinet in Kitchen History
Loaded with labor and time-saving conveniences, the Hoosier cabinet was among the earliest design innovations of the modern American kitchen. This culinary workstation allowed owners to maintain an efficient and clutter-free kitchen by centralizing utensils, cookware, tools, and ingredients all the while providing a space in which to prepare the meals of the day. Bloomington-based cabinetmaker Nancy R. Hiller draws on her years of specialty cabinet making and thorough knowledge of interior...
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Loaded with labor and time-saving conveniences, the Hoosier cabinet was among the earliest design innovations of the modern American kitchen. This culinary workstation allowed owners to maintain an efficient and clutter-free kitchen by centralizing utensils, cookware, tools, and ingredients all the while providing a space in which to prepare the meals of the day. Bloomington-based cabinetmaker Nancy R. Hiller draws on her years of specialty cabinet making and thorough knowledge of interior design to deliver an entertaining, beautiful, and informative history of the Hoosier cabinet — revealing its influence on the development of the contemporary American home. Illustrated with original manufacturers' advertisements and sales literature — some of which is previously unpublished — as well as color and black-and-white photos, this long-overdue book on an icon of the early 20th-century kitchen will be an invaluable resource to cabinetmakers, antiques enthusiasts, and homeowners planning a period-inspired kitchen.
ContentsAcknowledgmentsIntroduction1. Kitchens in ContextIndiana's settlement and early economy. Victorian kitchens. Urbanization. 2. Social and Material Influences on the Hoosier Cabinet's DevelopmentWomen and the kitchen. The servant problem. Why Indiana? Wooton's Patent Cabinet Secretary. Ideas from Catharine Beecher and Harriet Beecher Stowe, Frederick Winslow Taylor, and Christine Frederick.3. The Hoosier Becomes the StandardFounding of the Hoosier Manufacturing Company. Product development and efficiencies in production. Advertising, marketing, dealerships, and other secrets of the Hoosier cabinet's rise to kitchen prominence.4. EclipseProgress brings new products. The 18901930 building boom. Architectural millwork catalogs. The rise of modular cabinetry and the built-in kitchen.5. LegacyBack to basics: the family kitchen. Freestanding kitchen furniture renaissance. Collectors, restorers, and reproductions. Using Hoosier-era documents for design inspiration and guidance. Conclusion: Saving Steps.NotesBibliographyIndex
\ American Bungalow"Nancy Hiller has produced a book that is as much a small gem of American social and cultural history as it is the history of a product or (less so) of a company." —John Luke, American Bungalow\ — John Luke\ \ \ \ \ \ Antiques Reference Books Reviews"... a fascinating read about the social structure of the early kitchen and its women.... Very recommended." —Jerry Sampson, Antiques Reference Books Reviews\ — Jerry Sampson\ \ \ \ Nuvo"Pick it up, start reading and you won't want to put it down. Crazy as it sounds, a story about kitchens is full of wonderment, excitement, and down-home wisdom. The history part is equally engrossing..." —Nuvo\ \ \ \ \ Home & Away"Cabinetmaker Nancy R. Hiller draws on her years of specialty cabinet-making to deliver an entertaining, beautiful and informative history of the Hoosier cabinet—revealing its influence on the development of the contemporary American home." —Home & Away, July/August 2009\ \ \ \ \ Bloomsbury Review"Hiller's authoritative narrative will provide welcome background and detail for historians—amatuer and professional—but the illustrations—old and new—are just as likely to appeal to a contemporary generation of cabinetmakers, drawn to the functional beauty of this antique concept." —Bloomsbury Review\ \
