In the days before built-in kitchen cabinetry and counters, meal preparation could be exhausting. The stand-alone cabinet and work surface was a popular solution. While this style of cabinet came to be known as a Hoosier cabinet, several dozen manufacturers located primarily in Indiana (nicknamed the Hoosier state) produced the cabinets. Originally made of oak, they began using other species of wood as the oak supply dwindled. A painted finish was used to help conceal the differences in the wood. At its peak, the Hoosier Manufacturing Company made 700 cabinets a day. Sales of Hoosier-style cabinets declined in the years after World War II when built-in kitchen cabinets and counters became popular.
This cabinet was manufactured by the G.I. Sellers and Sons Company in Elwood, Indiana. It supplied storage for food staples with spice racks, flour bin with built-in sifter, space for utensils and a pull-out work surface. An advertisement for the Sellers cabinet noted, “It is every housewife’s duty to herself and to her family, to own this modern kitchen equipment. It organizes kitchen work. Because of its special features it saves much tiring labor, clips many hours from time in the kitchen.” Special features included the “Automatic Lowering Flour Bin” which “marks the end of treacherous climbing” and the “patented Ant-proof Casters”.