As the house building process was industrialized, home designs were standardized across the nation. By the early 1900s, houses could be selected from a catalog and the complete kit shipped anywhere served by a railroad. This 1912 advertisement offers a catalog of 100 house designs, features the popular bungalow design, and assures readers Aladdin Homes are appropriate for every climate.
Advertisement, Aladdin Homes. Everybody’s Magazine, Vol. 26, no. 4, (April 1912): 59.
Image featured in Investigating Family, Food, and Housing Themes in Social Studies by Cynthia Resor
A very unique primary source. Could be great to use in a specific lesson, or if just teaching about types of source in general.
Megan, These “kits” for complete houses were usually delivered by train. You could pair this with children’s fiction about the orphan trains. My favorite is Rodzina by Karen Cushman.