Photo Caption:
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Thirteen members of the Gilbreth family posed for this 1923 photograph that appeared across a two-page spread in a magazine. The photograph was titled “Seesawing skillfully between home and career.” The two lighthouses are behind them. Frank Gilbreth, Sr., is on the far left and his wife, Lillian, is on the far right. The couple, who were both industrial engineers and partners specializing in time-and-motion studies, applied their rules for production-line efficiency to the way they ran their home. Everyone’s chores were listed on a chart; a family council decided on such matters as payments to the children for special work around the house, the tougher jobs going to the child who made the lowest “bid.”
Frank Gilbreth, Sr., died a year after this photo was taken, and Lillian, as well as managing the large family, took over the family business. She was a pioneer in streamlining kitchen design, contributing to such innovations as foot-pedal trash cans and storage shelves on refrigerator doors. She was a college professor and internationally known management consultant until her death in 1972.
Back to the edition of: May/Jun 2012
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