Housework continued to become easier in the 1910s, thanks to the continuing spread of electricity and running water, to the invention of new appliances, and to the availability of pre-prepared food and drink. Vacuum cleaners, invented in 1908, made cleaning easier. Refrigerators, first made for home use in 1913, helped cut down on trips to the grocery store. The electric toaster, invented in 1919, made warming bread a snap. But real modern efficiency had not yet come to the home in the 1910s. Homemakers still had to wash clothes by hand and hang them on a line to dry. The high cost of many appliances made them difficult to afford for most people. For example, a refrigerator in 1920 cost about $600, nearly half of the average person's annual income.

Buying and preparing food certainly became easier in the 1910s, continuing a trend started in the previous decade. Grocery...