Less work for mother?
From the time H. W. Hoover first pitched his “electric suction sweepers” to consumers in 1908, advertisements promised that vacuums would ease the burdens of housework. Ironically, the more vacuuming people did, the higher their standards of cleanliness became—and the more vacuuming of floors and furnishings they were expected to do.
Ad, 1924
This advertisement reads, "The Hoover: It Beats...as it Sweeps...as it Cleans." Notice how this ad used dress to imply that housework could be effortless! Also note the prominent display of the vacuum’s power cord. By 1925 half the homes in the United States had electricity, and appliances of all sorts were being promoted as “electric servants.”
