1940s · 1940s Decades of Design. World War 2 There was one key event that affected every aspect...
Transcript of 1940s · 1940s Decades of Design. World War 2 There was one key event that affected every aspect...
1940s
Decades of Design
World
War 2
There was one key event that affected
every aspect life in the 1940s:
A huge amount of resources
were needed to fight the war.
This meant that there were
constraints on the amount of
materials and supplies for
domestic use.
As so many men were away fighting,
women were encouraged to do jobs that
had previously been done by men, like
driving tractors on farms and working
machines in factories.
As they were going out to work, this meant that
many women had less time than before the
war to fulfil their traditional roles in the home,
like cooking, cleaning and
sewing.
Women were not allowed
to fight, but they were
allowed to fill support
roles in the armed
services.
How did this affect design?• As so many materials were needed
to support the war effort, there were constraints on the materials available for domestic use. Wastage of materials had to be kept as small as possible.
• As women had to spend more time out at work, there was a need for labour saving in the home.
• The huge manufacturing effort to support the war placed much more emphasis than before on the use of large volume and mass production.
Charles E
am
es, ply
wood
table
and c
hairs,
1940s
Designs were often very
simple, with little
decoration as this
wasted material.
Fu
rn
itu
re
in
th
e 1
94
0s
Very few people had televisions. For
most people, entertainment and
news came from their radio.
Radios often had to be very big so
that all the parts could fit inside!
As more women were working,
devices to help in the home
became more popular
Ele
ctr
on
ics i
n t
he
19
40
s
Lig
htin
g i
n t
he
19
40
s
Whilst electric lights were available for
use at home, soldiers had to be
equipped with robust, liquid-fuel lights
Photographs on adverts were
only black & white;
many adverts used
drawings instead.
Ad
ve
rtis
ing
in
th
e 1
94
0s
Health and well-being was a key feature of
many advertisements
Ad
ve
rtis
ing
in
th
e 1
94
0s Some companies tried to
say that their products
were good by linking
their use to the military
Most adverts contained
some text. A wide range
of font styles were
used.
Men often wore suits and ties,
even during leisure time
Fa
sh
ion
in
th
e 1
94
0s Hats were popular
Knitting and making
clothes at home
was commonplace
Fa
sh
ion
in
th
e 1
94
0s
Elaborate hairstyles and long skirts were popular
Fo
od
in
th
e 1
94
0s
Foods from abroad could be hard to get, so people
tried to find alternatives
The war meant that many foods
were in short supply and had to
be rationed.
Food that was quick and easy to
prepare became more popular
Fo
od
in
th
e 1
94
0s
Ca
rs i
n t
he
19
40
s
References
http://history1900s.about.com/library
/time/bltime1940.htm
http://www.lolc.co.uk/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1940s