Cook in White House Kitchen, ca. 1890 | State Historical Society of Iowa

One adult woman in a floor-length dress, seen in a large kitchen. Commercial range and oven on the right, many shelves, tables, and other cooking equipment also visible.

Courtesy of Library of Congress, Johnston, Frances B., "Cook in White House kitchen," ca. 1890

Description

#5 Occupation: Housekeeper
In 1900, the work of housekeepers and servants probably looked very similar. In larger homes, more hired help meant that they could specialize and only do certain tasks. A housekeeper would have been in charge of taking care of the house, cleaning, decorating, repairing household items and sometimes they also were the cook. The cook, seen in this photo, is from a very famous large house: the White House in Washington, D.C. That is where the president of the United States lives.

Source-Dependent Questions

What is the working environment for a housekeeper?
What skills does this housekeeper need in order to be successful at her job?
Based on evidence from the photo, what equipment is this woman using to do her job? How is that the same and different from the kitchen at your home?

Citation Information

Johnston, Frances B., "Cook in White House kitchen," ca. 1890. Courtesy of Library of Congress