John-
I loved the question about wire window screens.  That is just the
sort of query we get here.  I don't have an answer, but two sources
come to mind.  Susan Strasser, in *Never Done: A History of American
Housework* (New York: Pantheon, 1982), talks about seasonal cleaning.
The journal, *Technology and Culture,* is another possible source.
I'm interested in seeing what turns up on this.  I'd like to add the
information to our files.
Pat Miller