Museum of Innovation and Science

GE refrigerator in use, 1939. GE eliminated the Monitor-top refrigerator design in 1937, opting for a more modern design that hid the equipment in the back and the bottom of the refrigerator

Document 10: Refrigerator Sales by State

Experimental refrigeration machine, prototype of the Monitor-top refrigerator, 1926

Document 1: Refrigerating Machine Patent


Documents 6, 7 and 8 are excerpts from a General Electric monitor top refrigerator cookbook from 1927. Read and analyze the three documents. Answer the questions in complete sentences on another sheet of paper.

Documents 6, 7, and 8: Three Documents from A Recipe Book

Christian Steenstrup, inventor of the Monitor-top refrigerator inspects the manufacturing line in Erie, Pennsylvania, circa 1930

Document 2: Photographs of Monitor-top Refrigerator Models

Read the three General Electric Refrigerator advertisements. Each has a different approach to why the new refrigerators were necessary and were better than those of the competition. After reading the advertisements, complete the worksheet in complete sentences.

1.  What do the three advertisements have in common?

2.  For what audience were the three advertisements created? Why were they created?

3.  What basic information is missing in all three advertisements? Why do you think it was not 
     included?

4. What is the basic purpose of advertising? How is this presented in these three advertisements?


Documents 3,4, and 5: Comparing Three General Electric Advertisements   

Advertisement for GE Americana refrigerator with separate refrigerator and freezer compartment, 1964

Refrigeration Summary Questions

General Electric calendar painting of Monitor-top refrigerator, 1927

Document 9: Index of Public Acceptance

Prior to the introduction of refrigeration, iceboxes kept food from spoiling; however they were time consuming, requiring ice replacement several times a week and emptying of trays of water. Food was maintained only at moderate temperatures. 
 
The refrigerator gradually evolved from being a luxury item affordable only by the wealthy, to being an affordable and reliable part of the modern kitchen. It was an invention that impacted many aspects of society, contributing to the transition to a consumer society. General Electric of Schenectady, New York, by introducing this enclosed and relatively inexpensive Monitor-Top refrigerator in 1927, used science and technology to bring change to society. 

The documents in this packet reflect the introduction of the General Electric Monitor Top refrigerator and its impact on American society. Of particular interest are trade literature documents, especially advertisements, which reflect the interests of the developing consumer society.

1. To understand how industrialization led to significant changes in the economic patterns of 

   producing, distributing, and consuming of goods and services.

 2. To understand how industrialization altered the traditional social patterns of American society 

 3. To investigate key turning points in New York State and United States history and explain why

    these events or developments are significant.

 4. To explore how the twentieth century witnessed the emergence of a consumer society.

 5. To understand the role of General Electric and the development of the refrigerator in the   

    transformation of American society.

 6. To learn to read and evaluate primary documents and to appreciate their importance in 

    understanding the past and its connection to the present.

  7. To use interdisciplinary and multi-disciplinary approaches to develop an understanding of the 

    inter-relationships between the academic disciplines.

 8. To use a variety of academic approaches to learning, such as cooperative groups, team teaching, interdisciplinary teaching, and higher level thinking skills such as   Bloom’s Taxonomy.   

The following are some standards objectives which may be addressed through this packet.

    1. To read, write, listen, and speak for information and understanding.

    2. To read, write, listen, and speak for critical analysis and evaluation.

    1. To respond critically to a variety of works in the arts, connecting individual work to other            works and to other aspects of human endeavor and thought.

    2. To develop and understand the personal and cultural forces that shape the artistic community 

        and how the arts in turn shape the diverse culture of the past and present society.

   1. To understand and be able to manage community resources.

    2. To apply academic knowledge and skills to workplace and other settings.

IV. Mathematics, Technology,  and Science

    1. To use mathematical analysis and scientific inquiry to pose questions, seek answers, and to 

    2. To understand and apply scientific concepts and recognize the historical development of ideas          in science. 

    3. To understand the relationships and common themes that connect mathematics, science, and          technology to address real-life problems and to make informed decisions.

    1. To use a variety of intellectual skills to demonstrate understanding of major ideas, eras, themes, 

         and developments in the history of the United States and New York.

    2. To examine the broad sweep of history from a variety of perspectives.  

Prior to the introduction of refrigeration, iceboxes kept food from spoiling; however they were time consuming, requiring ice replacement several times a week and emptying of trays of water. Food was maintained only at moderate temperatures. In 1921, five thousand refrigerators were manufactured in the United States. This beginning eventually led to the replacement of the icebox. However, early refrigerators were expensive and unreliable, often requiring repairs on the average of every three months. Costing about six hundred dollars in 1920, the price of a low-end model refrigerator dropped to ninety dollars within twenty years. By 1934 sales exceeded one million units, and that number was more than tripled by 1941. General Electric was the first manufacturer to design and market a hermetically sealed motor and to sell the box as an integral part of the refrigeration machinery. An author referred to the General Electric Monitor Top refrigerator, introduced in 1927, as “the Model T of the [refrigeration] industry.”

The refrigerator gradually evolved from being a luxury item affordable only by the wealthy, to being an affordable and reliable part of the modern kitchen. It was an invention that impacted many aspects of society, contributing to the transition to a consumer society. General Electric of Schenectady, New York, by introducing this enclosed and relatively inexpensive refrigerator, used science and technology to bring change to society. As a business corporation, General Electric produced vast amounts of historical documents that document this contribution.

Reproductions of documents in this resource kit are identified as follows:

1.     Cover page of U.S. Patent for Refrigeration Machines, issued to Christian Steenstrup of General Electric, 26 January 1932

2.     Photographs of the General Electric Monitor Top Refrigerator, from GE Refrigerator service manual, 1944

3.     “It’s Easy to Plan Meals Now,” advertisement from GE refrigerator advertising campaign, 1926 

4.     “Entirely Different,” advertisement from GE refrigerator advertising campaign, 1926

5.     “Sunday Night Supper,” advertisement from GE refrigerator advertising campaign, 1926

6.     “An Interesting Proof of Food Preservation,” from GE Electric Refrigerator cookbook, 1927

7.     “Menus for Different Occasions,” from GE Electric Refrigerator cookbook, 1927

8.     “Menus For Afternoon Bridge,” from GE Electric Refrigerator cookbook, 1927

9.     Index of Public Acceptance, from 

10.  Sales By State of Refrigerators, from 

Each document has an overview sheet explaining objectives, materials, and procedures, and a worksheet for students to use when exploring the document. A final Summary and Evaluation worksheet is also included, in order to explore some broader issues raised by the documents. 

The Impact and Influence of Refrigeration Technology

education standards