Sparkling delights

Americans were used to having ice at home—in large, messy blocks used to chill an icebox. But in the 1930s and 1940s, as more Americans purchased electric refrigerators, they began to see ice not as a burdensome necessity, but a delightful—and trendy—novelty.

Farm kitchen, 1941

Farm kitchen, 1941

Courtesy of Library of Congress

“The use of ice-cooled beverages in the home is becoming constantly more popular. This calls for . . . ice of suitable size for cooling drinks.”

–Frigidaire Household Sales Textbook, 1928

Ice cube tray, 1930s

Ice cube tray, 1930s

Ice cube tray, 1930s

Ice cube tray, 1930s

Ice cube tray, 1930s

Ice cube tray, 1930s

U.S. Patents granted for ice trays, 1930s-1940s

U.S. Patents granted for ice trays, 1930s-1940s

U.S. Patents granted for ice trays, 1930-1940s

U.S. Patents granted for ice trays, 1930-1940s

“To Freeze Ice Cubes . . . put into the pans the partitions which come with them and fill with water.”

–Electric Refrigerator Recipes and Menus, 1927