The kitschy, gender-stereotyping pun “Speaker of the House” appeared on many domestic objects and advertisements. It combined the trend of humorous home decorations with the idea that a woman was better suited to cooking and cleaning a suburban bungalow than wielding legislative power. In reality, by the time this plate was produced around 1960, women in Congress chaired committees and championed legislation that established a minimum wage, created the 40-hour workweek, allowed women in the military, and provided a set of programs known as the GI Bill.
