Visiting the Lustron House

Recently, on a very hot Saturday afternoon, I decided to take residence in a local Lustron house. Lustron houses were, according to Wikipedia, prefabricated enameled steel houses developed in the post WWII era in response to the housing shortage for returning GIs. You could order the kit from the Sears Roebuck catalog and put it together yourself.

In short, they were small, metal houses that were cold in winter and very warm in the summer. But they were quaint, charming, and a definite sign of the times.

Our local museum has a Lustron house and the inside is completely furnished in mid century furniture and decor. There is everything from a marshmallow tin in the kitchen, to a martini set in the living room. Once you step in the door, you are stepping back in time.

I had the idea to take some of my collection of vintage dresses and other items to the Lustron house to photograph them in the setting of the era from which they came. When I asked the folks at the museum if I could do this, they were a bit puzzled at first. When they saw what I was doing, they completely understood.

Shall I make you a meatloaf darling?

The table is set for our guests!

A drink before dinner?

I guess I can watch I Love Lucy while I wait for him to arrive.

Our train leaves in an hour!

Darling, I think its time for another!

Are you sure you want to watch television tonight dear?

I better set  curlers in my hair tonight!

By the end of my time in the Lustron house, I was hot but happy. I really could have used a martini or two or a full on Don Draper Old Fashioned. It was a blast to step back in time even if only for a few hours. I love these pictures and it matches my theory that vintage clothes not only represent a different time in history, they also tell a story of someone's life. 

However, I really don't think Betty Draper would have fared very well here. Even after a good amount of martinis.