Author: Taylor Morrow

The Frugal Housewife is a cookbook deeply rooted in history and activism, thanks to its author’s vocations. In addition to being a successful writer, Lydia Maria Child was a dedicated activist and abolitionist. Her published work An Appeal in Favor of that Class of Americans Called Africans was a first-of-its-kind essay that significantly impacted the perception of slavery in the United States at the time. Her other works include Hobomok: A Tale of Earlier Times, The Rebels, The Juvenile Miscellany, The Mother’s Book, and more. She mainly wrote children’s books and domestic manuals until her interest shifted to more political pursuits. After her work on An Appeal, she spent the rest of her life working towards abolishing slavery and raising awareness for the many inequalities in America. Although she was once revered in the Boston literary world, her stance on abolition left her ostracized – but that did not stop her from advocating for equality (The Poetry Foundation).  

While much of her work was based on abolitionist ideals, Child was also an advocate for feminist causes and women’s rights. In addition to writing the first comprehensive history of American Slavery, she also wrote the first comprehensive history of women. The Frugal Housewife is one of her works that based in feminist ideals. The Poetry Foundation states, “Directed at “middling” and lower-class women who could not afford servants, it was an early attempt to raise domesticity to a level of competence equal to that of other skilled trades (The Poetry Foundation).” Child’s works are mostly based in equality and advocacy, and The Frugal Housewife is not an outlier.  

Throughout her life, Child worked as both a writer and an editor.Since her career was strongly prevalent in the literary world, and the lack of information on the existence of a literary agent, I assume that Child did not have an agent. The front cover of the cookbook states, “Corrected and Arranged by the Author.” Child not only wrote her works, but she also edited and organized them herself.  

The first cookbook to take off in America was American Cookery, or, The Art of Dressing Viands, Fish, Poultry, and Vegetables, and the Best Modes of Making Puff-Pastes, Pies, Tarts, Puddings, Custards and Preserves, and All Kinds of Cakes, from the Imperial Plumb to Plain Cake by Amelia Simmons in 1796 (Virginia Tech University). Other cookbooks began to hit the shelves in the next two to three decades, including The Female Economist, or, A Plain System of Cookery: For the Use of Families: Containing Nearly Eight Hundred Valuable Receipts byMrs. Smith (Virginia Tech University) in 1810 (World Cat), The Experienced American Housekeeper: or, Domestic Cookery, Formed on Principles of Economy for the Use of Private Families by Eliza Rundell (Virginia Tech University) in 1823 (World Cat), Five Thousand Receipts in All the Useful and Domestic Arts, Constituting a Complete and Universal Practical Library, and Operative Cyclopaedia by Colin Mackenzie (Virginia Tech University) in 1829 (World Cat). It is evident based on the titles of these cookbooks, and Child’s own work, that most cookbooks published in the early nineteenth century were focused largely on economy and domesticity.  

Even with these other cookbooks published during that time, Child’s work stood out because of its ease of use, emphasis on remedies in addition to recipes, and frugality. The Frugal Housewife was a popular manual and had over 35 editions (Simon and Schuster). The cookbook’s popularity could be due to several reasons: not only was it the “first American cookbook to focus on economy in the kitchen and home (Andrews Mcmeel Publishing),” but it’s emphasis on self-reliance and frugality made it truly stand out (Andrews Mcmeel Publishing).  

This edition is the fourth edition, and the main reason for this edition’s printing is stated on the third page of the book: “The Author, having received a great many letters requesting the publication of “Hints to People of Moderate Fortune,” has deemed it proper to annex them to this little work; as both were written from the same motive, viz: an honest and independent wish to be useful.” There was such high demand for the additional chapter that Child acquiesced to the request by creating this fourth edition.

On the same page as this previous note from the author, there is also a note from a JNO. W. Davis, Clerk of District of Massachusetts, that states additional reasons for the printing of this book. It states that the book is in accordance with the act(s) stating an emphasis on learning and the importance of historical prints.

The book was originally printed in Boston, Massachusetts by publishers Carter, Hendee, and Babcock. There is not much known about these publishers, but from what I could find, they printed mainly children’s books and educational texts. On the back cover of this edition of The Frugal Housewife, there is a list of other books produced by these publishers, including The Children’s Week, The Young Emigrants, Scientific Tracts, and A Natural History of Insects. Carter and Hendee published over 150 volumes at their Corner Store, and they hired Babcock for only a year (the year this book was published – 1830-1831) (Boston University). Despite the success of The Frugal Housewife, Carter and Hendee were unable to stay in business and sold their publishing company the following year (1832) (Boston University). 

Information on the printer of this book is vague but based on another book published by Carter and Hendee, a printer by the name of Brattleboro Power Press Office could have been used. If not, it is possible that Carter and Hendee printed the books themselves, but this is speculative (Washington University). The paper itself has held up well structurally, although it is consistently stained on all pages. Based on the history of paper-making and the condition of the paper, I assume that it is made of rag-based materials, not wood-based. Wood-based paper was not invented until the 1840’s and was not widely used in America until over twenty years after that.  

The origins of The Frugal Housewife are deeply rooted in frugality, activism, and questioning the norms of the nineteenth-century. Child’s experience as both a successful writer and activist were crucial to the success of the cookbook. Knowing the impact activism had on the writing of the cookbook, and how its emphasis on frugality led to its fame, helps acknowledge the importance of the origins of The Frugal Housewife by Lydia Maria Child. 

Works Cited:

“Five Thousand Receipts in All the Useful and Domestic Arts : Constituting a Complete and Universal Practical Library, and Operative Cyclopaedia | WorldCat.org.” Worldcat.org, 2024, search.worldcat.org/title/Five-thousand-receipts-in-all-the-useful-and-domestic-arts-:-constituting-a-complete-and-universal-practical-library-and-operative-cyclopaedia/oclc/6478641. Accessed 21 Nov. 2024. 

History of Papermaking around the World, paper.gatech.edu/sites/default/files/2021-04/History of Papermaking Around the World.pdf. Accessed 17 Oct. 2024.  

“Looking Glass for the Mind: 350 Years of Books for Children.” Looking Glass for the Mind: 350 Years of Books for Children (an Online Exhibit), content.lib.washington.edu/exhibits/looking-glass/peter.html. Accessed 17 Oct. 2024.  

“Lydia Maria Child.” NATIONAL ABOLITION HALL OF FAME AND MUSEUM, www.nationalabolitionhalloffameandmuseum.org/lydia-maria-child.html. Accessed 17 Oct. 2024.  

“Lydia Maria Child.” Poetry Foundation, Poetry Foundation, www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/lydia-maria-child. Accessed 17 Oct. 2024.  

Newsome, Florence Wilson. “The Publishing and Literary Activities of the Predecessors of Ticknor and Fields, 1829-1849.” Boston University Libraries OpenBU, Boston University, 1 Jan. 1970, open.bu.edu/handle/2144/7541. 

“Research Guides: Food & Drink History Resources @Virginia Tech (and Beyond): Early American Cooking/Cookery (1796-1850).” Vt.edu, 2021, guides.lib.vt.edu/c.php?g=10336&p=5063149. Accessed 21 Nov. 2024. 

“The Experienced American Housekeeper, Or, Domestic Cookery, Formed on Principles of Economy for the Use of Private Families | WorldCat.org.” Worldcat.org, 2024, search.worldcat.org/title/15368470. Accessed 21 Nov. 2024. 

“The Female Economist, Or, a Plain System of Cookery : For the Use of Families : Containing Nearly Eight Hundred Valuable Receipts | WorldCat.org.” Worldcat.org, 2024, search.worldcat.org/title/77805720?oclcNum=77805720. Accessed 21 Nov. 2024. 

“The Frugal Housewife.” Andrews McMeel Publishing, 12 Oct. 2024, publishing.andrewsmcmeel.com/book/the-frugal-housewife/#:~:text=The%20charming%20collection%20of%20recipes,is%20relevant%20in%20modern%20times.  

“The Frugal Housewife.” Book by Lydia Maria Child | Official Publisher Page | Simon & Schuster, www.simonandschuster.com/books/The-Frugal-Housewife/Lydia-Maria-Child/9781449431709. Accessed 17 Oct. 2024. 

Dickinson College Archives and Special Collections Department holds significant research material ranging from medieval times to the present, and while located at a small institution, it is home to a wide range of rare books, photographs, and other artifacts. Of these historical materials, Lydia Maria Child’s revolutionary cookbook entitled “The Frugal Housewife” stands out as especially loved. At first glance, the book is barely that – it is no longer bound and must be held together by a ribbon. As we take a closer look, the cookbook is more than it seems, and it holds more than the originally printed recipes and remedies.

In a conversation with Dickinson College Archivist Malinda Triller-Doran, she informed me that while the book’s journey to our archives is not explicitly known, we can guess that it was once a part of Charles Coleman Sellers’s Library and was donated to the Archives with the rest of his collection after his death in 1980 (Triller-Doran).

The full title of the book is “The Frugal Housewife: Dedicated to Those Who Are Not Ashamed of Economy.” The audience for this book is presumably the average, middle- or lower-class housewife in America. Most of the included recipes are simple and require minimal ingredients, and in addition to the normal recipes expected in a cookbook, a significant portion of the book is reserved for remedies and advice for topics outside of the kitchen, including laundry and cleaning tips.

This specific edition is the fourth edition, and was published in Boston, Massachusetts in 1831 by Carter, Hendee, & Babcock. The size of the book (5in x 7.5in x 1 in) suggests its economy. A larger-sized book would not be affordable by the audience, and it is more convenient for storage and use at this moderate size. This cookbook is 118 pages, but pages 109 – 112 are missing. This mishap could be due to the poor state of the binding and the fact that most of the pages are no longer connected. The paper itself, while no longer bound together, is thick, with clean-cut edges, and, in comparison to the deteriorating state of the binding, has held up exceptionally well over time. While yellowed and stained on every page, none of the paper is torn or ripped, and only five pages have been bent at the top right corner. This folding looks accidental but could also have been a bookmark for the owner. The typeface is difficult to determine, as it looks like Times New Roman, or some other serif font. After running a picture through font identification software, I think the font is “Aquatic Rough (WhatFontIs.com).”

While the book was not printed with illustrations or pictures, a previous owner – presumably an “M. Cady” based on the repeated signatures across the front cover – marked up the book with drawings, signatures, additional recipes, and other inscriptions. The first page of the book was once a blank protective sheet but has since been lined and written on both sides with multiple recipes for frosting, cookies, cake, sausages, and steam pudding. In addition to this once-blank page, the blank spaces on pages 80, 103, and 113 are home to more personal recipes. While the print is messy and the pencil is mostly faded, from what I can tell the recipes are for “Pork Cake Loaves,” “Sausages,” and “Good Common Cake Loaves.”

Although the front and middle of the cookbook housed mostly inscribed recipes, the back cover is covered in drawings of birds, fathers, flowers, and a face. There is a passage at the top that has since been crossed out, but from what I can tell is another recipe including ingredients like butter and buttermilk.

These recipes and the writing on the front cover were in the same handwriting and pencil as the “M. Cady” signature, and after further investigation, this woman is presumably Mary Cady (previously Mary Webb, married to Hiram Cady). Apart from the repeated “M. Cady” stamps and signatures, there is an additional signature that reads “Mrs. Hiram Cady.” After a deep internet search, I found a picture of a woman named Mary Webb who married a Mr. Hiram Cady, who passed away in 1876 (WikiTree). I cannot find much else on her other than her burial location in Washtenaw County, Michigan. There is one recipe on the back cover in a different, darker handwriting for a Beef dish. There are two more names inscribed but they are completely illegible.

The front matter of the book includes the aforementioned, no-longer-blank page, a title page, a page containing two notes, and the introductory chapter. The title page is nearly identical to the cover of the book, including the full title (“The Frugal Housewife: Dedicated to Those Who Are Not Ashamed of Economy”), a dedication, two quotations – one by Benjamin Franklin and one with no source – the edition of the book, and publication information.

The page with notes contains one from Lydia Maria Child stating her reasoning and additions to this edition and one from the Clerk of the District of Massachusetts emphasizing its publication location. In place of a table of contents at the beginning of the book, there is instead an alphabetical index at the end, beginning with “Advice, General” and concluding with “Pastry.”

The organization of the book is clear and simple, and extremely easy to skip through. Since it holds recipes and remedies, a reader will use it for specific reasons and may need to skip around to find the entry they are looking for. The short paragraphs, clear titles, and alphabetical index make this a convenient manual for the average reader. Food groups include “Herbs,” “Meat Corner, or Salted, Hams &c,” “Puddings,” and more. Remedies include small healing tips, specifically for burns and cuts, in addition to more first-aid style tips. The author takes a familiar, conversational tone, using both first person and addressing the reader directly in certain passages.

The physical condition of the book emphasizes how loved this book was, proving its convenience and popularity. This is not a book that is held and flipped through. It is quick to lie flat, suggesting its long history of laying on a table or kitchen countertop. This book is similar to our modern-day “Cooking for Dummies,” with both easy, clear recipes and significant advice and remedies. Child goes above and beyond for her reader by delving deeper than the assumed recipes of a cookbook to include tips and tricks for chores and tasks outside of the kitchen. Despite this information on this cookbook, the catch-all guide to being an economical housewife holds more secrets – in both its typed content and added inscriptions – that I look forward to uncovering over the course of the semester.

Works Cited

Child, Lydia Maria. The Frugal Housewife : Dedicated to Those Who Are Not Ashamed of Economy. Fourth edition / corr. and arr. By the author, to Which are added, Hints to persons of moderate fortune., Carter, Hendee and Babcock, 1831.

“Find Any Font from Any Image.” Upload Image, www.whatfontis.com/?s3. Accessed 22 Sept. 2024.

“Mary (Webb) Cady.” WikiTree, 28 June 2023, www.wikitree.com/wiki/Webb-14437.

“Mrs. Hiram Cady (Mary Webb).” Ypsilanti Historical Society Photo Archives, quod.lib.umich.edu/y/yhsic1/x-08073/PHOTO08073?lasttype=boolean%3Blastview. Accessed 14 Oct. 2024.

Triller-Doran, Malinda. Personal interview with the author. 18 September 2024.