Greenbelt Museum:

Image volume 1: (These images are big files. Please be patient.)

• Image number 037: Toaster (1920's)
  During the Great Depression, the government, in an attempt to build cheaper housing and also provide jobs built planned communities such as Greenbelt. The residents of these houses generally came without such large items such as refrigerators or ovens since these items were to expensive to move from place to place. In these communities, a "co-op" was a place were such items could be purchased. This toaster, however, was typical of the smaller things a family could bring with them and put in their new home. This particular toaster was a pre-depression toaster brought by the family that moved into the house during the thirties.
• Image number 038: Toaster -- open (1920's)
  By the late 1930's, "pop-up" toasters with adjustable time settings were available on the market. This toaster, owned by a family of Greenbelt "pioneers", is an earlier style, which is much simpler. To make toast, you open the doors, place a slice of bread on each side, resting on the heating coils, and close the doors. But don't wait for the toast to pop up, or you'll have a disaster on your hands! There is no timer, so the toast must be watched and taken out when it is ready. What a nuisance! Can you guess why the Greenbelt family still used this "old-fashioned" toaster?
• Image number 093: Depression glass dessert cup
  A set of colorful dessert cups like this one could brighten an everyday meal or a small gathering of friends. Single dishes were sometimes offered as premiums inside boxes of laundry detergent, or given away to movie audiences. Acquiring a set of matching dessert cups for an entire family required repeated purchases -- just what the manufacturers wanted.
• Image number 094: Depression glass candlestick
  By the late 1930's most American homes had electricity, and candlelight, once a necessity, had become an important part of festive or elegant dining. Colorful and inexpensive Depression glass candlesticks brightened dinner tables in many middle-class American homes. Whether originally purchased at the five-and-dime store or given away on "dish night" at the movies, Depression glass articles are now popular -- and increasingly expensive -- collectibles.
• Image number 097: Depression glass sectional serving plate
  In Depression-era America, the home was the only place people could afford to gather and socialize. Elegant touches such as this sectional serving plate made the meal or party more festive. This plate, made of inexpensive Depression glass, was used to serve an assortment of finger foods such as tea sandwiches and canapes.
• Image number 098: Depression glass candy dish
  Besides holding candy on special occasions, this colorful dish could also be displayed on an open shelf or on a crocheted doily in the center of a table. During the Depression, inexpensive decorative items such as this helped brighten many of America's homes.