Ah, ti kućanski poslovi
The exhibition catalogue explores the history and culture of everyday life, the development of household appliances, and the social role of women in households in Osijek and Slavonia during the late 19th and the first half of the 20th century.
The publication and exhibition catalog Ah, Those Household Chores! (Ah, ti kućanski poslovi!), authored by Ksenije Katalinić, Radmila Biondić, and Marina Vinaj and published by the Museum of Slavonia in Osijek in 2010, offers a cultural-historical and ethnological overview of daily life and family existence in Slavonia and Osijek during the late 19th and the first half of the 20th century. The work systematically examines the modernization of both urban and rural households through the lens of the development of domestic tools, appliances, and utility items used for home maintenance. Drawing on a rich collection of museum artifacts—ranging from antique irons, washing machines, and sewing machines to kitchenware and cleaning supplies—the authors illustrate how technological progress gradually transformed and eased everyday domestic labor. Particular attention is given to the sociological dimension: the analysis of women's roles within the family, the gendered division of labor, and the evolving perception of housework—which shifted from an invisible, private sphere to an important indicator of the social and material status of a bourgeois family. This publication serves as a valuable contribution to local history and the study of everyday culture in the Slavonia region.
One copy is available
