Through the 1920s, home refrigeration was still dependant on the icebox - an insulated chest cooled by a block of melting ice. Ice was expensive to harvest, store and deliver, though, and home iceboxes needed constant replenishment. Improvements in mechanical and chemical processes made artificial home refrigeration practical by the 1930s. The refigerator allowed families to store fresh foods for longer periods, and brought new variety to the American diet. The Airtite company of Rhinelander, Wisconsin, built this early refrigerator.
Creator: Airtite
Publisher: Minnesota Historical Society
Date: 1930
Identifer: accession 61.19.1
