The interiors of most immigrant houses were extremely simple. The house in this photograph, unlike many, has electricity and a substantial wood burning stove. Cooking utensils were few and furniture very limited. Water, which had to be hauled by wagon, was seldom readily accessible and that made washing difficult. The children seen here are dressed traditionally in long smocks.
One of the many hardships immigrants had to endure was an almost complete lack of privacy. Most of the living area had to be given over to sleeping arrangements and was intensely crowded; witness, in this case, the bed in the kitchen. Two, three or even more families might be forced to share a single room. Single men were often taken as lodgers to supplement meagre incomes.
