Elledge Culinary Ephemera Collection
Scope and Content
This collection includes twenty-four series of culinary ephemera, and they are organized by food and appliance. Items range throughout the twentieth century and into the early twenty-first century, with majority of items undated. Most items are pamphlets that include recipes, health and nutrition guides, short stories, and appliance instructions. Other items include catalogues, newspaper and magazine clippings, stickers, and food pyramid pins. Materials provide insight into consumer culture, technology, and history of gender, race, class, sanitation, marketing, and graphic design.
Some materials include racialized depictions of African Americans, Asians, and Indigenous peoples of the Americas, and a statement of such is marked next to each material.
Series I: Appliance Equipment includes materials dated from 1950 to 1985, with many of the items undated. All items are organized in alphabatical order by title in three folders. Pamphlets include instructions and recipes for appliances such as fry pans, mixers, blenders, oven ranges, and pressure pans. Some pamphlets contain promotional materials to purchase their products to use these recipes.
Series II: Assorted Topics - Tea, Herbs, Spices, Olives, Sauces includes materials dated from 1967 to 2001, with many of the items undated. All materials are organized in alphabetical order by title. Pamphlets include recipes using these types of products or to create them, and other items have marketing materials to promote these.
Series III: Beans includes materials dated from 1970 to 1999, with many of the items undated. All materials are organized in alphabetical order by title in four folders. Majority of pamphlets have recipes related to beans, lentils, split peas, lima beans, blackeyes, chickpeas, white beans, pinto beans, kidney beans, and peas. Other pamphlets discuss the nutritional benefits of beans. One pamphlet titled "Explore the Magic World of California Beans with Jack Beanstalk M.B.A. (Master of Bean Arts)" follows the story of Jack Beanstalk discussing different types of beans, the history behind beans, how to properly cook and eat them, recipes, and their nutrition benefits.
Series IV: Cheese includes materials dated 1978 to 1985, with many of the items undated. All materials are organized in alphabetical order by title. Recipe pamphlets consist of recipes using cream cheese and Kraft brand cheeses. "The Whole Cheese" pamphlet consists of how to care for cheese, a cheese guide encompassing images, descriptions, and pairing suggestions, and recipes that use cheeses. The collection also has a 1985 Philadelphia Cream Cheese calendar.
Series V: Chocolate includes materials dated from 1950 to 1988, with many of the items undated. All materials are organized in alphabetical order by title. Most materials are recipes on how to use chocolate and make desserts. Hershey's chococlate branded recipes comprise most of the collection. "A souvenir of your visit to Hershey" packet includes multiple Hershey recipe pamphlets inside, along with "The Story of Chocolate and Cocoa." This pamphlet details the history of chocolate and cocoa, a short biography on founder Milton Snavely Hershey, where cocoa grows, how chocolate is made, and background on the town and park of Hershey.
Series VI: Dairy includes materials dated from 1948 to 1992, with many of the items undated. All materials are organized in alphabetical order by title in three folders. Pamphlets contain recipes for desserts, casseroles, ice cream, appetizers, and pies. Some recipes detail how to use dry milk. Others discuss how to use milk for dieting and weight loss.
Series VII: Eggs includes materials dated from 1974 to 1983, with many of the items undated. All materials are organized in alphabetical order by title. Materials comprise of recipes, information about eggs, and money-saving egg recipes.
Series VIII: Fats and Oils includes materials dated from 1955 to 1992, with many of the items undated. All materials are organized in alphabetical order by title. Materials include items and recipes for salad dressings, Kraft oil, mayonnaise, Bertolli, and corn refinery.
Series IX: Foil Wraps includes undated materials with one item dated 1982. Materials have recipes that use foil, wraps, and saran wrap. The "Reynolds Oven Cooking Bags" has an instructions and recipes pamphlet, an unopened cooking bag, and a coupon. The "Wrap It Festive!" pamphlet has holiday recipes and suggestions on how to use plastic wrap to decorate gifts.
Series X: Foreign Infuence includes materials dated from 1942 to 1970, with many of the items undated. All materials are organized in alphbaetical order by title. Materials include recipes inspired by recipes from around the globe.
Series XI: Forest Foraging includes one item dated 1977 and another undated item. Materials are organized in alphabetical order by title. "Food From Field and Forest" contains recipes for wild game such as venison, bear, rabbit, squirrel, woodchuck, oppossum, raccoon, duck, pheasant, pigeon, dove, turtle, trout, frog legs, edible plants, and beverages. "Spring Wild Food in Piedmont of Virginia" contains recipes for edible plants such as chickweed, cattail, dandelions, and more.
Series XII: Fruit includes materials dated from 1970 to 1992, with many of the items undated. All materials are organized in alphabetical order by title. Pamphlets contain recipes for cranberries, cherries, bananas, dates, citruses, apples, peaches, kiwi, pineapple, and prunes. Some recipes are for jams, jellies, and preserves. The recipe booklet "101 All-Time Favorite Cranberry Recipes" contains depictions of Indigenous peoples and pilgrims.
Series XIII: Gelatin, Jello, Jelly includes materials dated from 1953 to 1999, with many of the items undated. All materials are organized in alphabetical order by title in three folders. Materials have mostly recipes for desserts, low calories, weight-loss, and sugar-free items.
Series XIV: Grains includes materials dated from 1956 to 2002, with many of the items undated. All materials are organized in alphabetical order by title in seven folders. Materials include recipes for pastas, pies, breads, rice, flaxseed, fiber, desserts, rolls, muffins, waffles, and more. Some recipes focus on nutrition, weight loss, and low calories.
Series XV: Household Management includes materials dated from 1959 to 1979, with other items undated. All materials are organized in alphabetical order by title. "Pac-Man Party" has a pac-man theme with the art and three recipes called Speedy's Scrambles, High Score S'mores, and Blinky's Punch. The pamphlet advertises the Roanoke Gas Company and how to use gas ovens. "Real Kill: Hints for Bug-Free Living" contains a guide on bugs, where they are found, and how to remove them. It advertises Real Kill's products to control bugs. This item also contains a racialized depiction of a Chinese woman.
Series XVI: Meal Planning includes materials dated from 1954 to 2003, with many of the items undated. All materials are organized in alphabetical order by title in four folders. Recipe pamphlets and booklets include how to plan meals for your family meals and for hosting parties. Other pamphlets contain recipes and lists of healthy foods. Meal-saving booklets and pamphlets discuss how to eat nutritious foods for low costs.
Series XVII: Meats includes materials dated from 1939 to 1985, with many of the items undated. All materials are organized in alphabetical order by title in two folders. Recipes include instructions for pork, gravy, hamburgers, manwiches, fish, and other meat-related items. Some discuss how to idenfity cuts of meat and how to store them.
Series XVIII: Microwave includes materials dated from 1971 to 1990, with many of the items undated. All materials are organized in alphabetical order by title in two folders. Most materials are recipes for the microwave. Some include recipes to save money and eat cheaper. Other materials focus on nutrition and health.
Series XIX: Nuts includes materials dated from 1955 to 1993, with many of the items undated. All materials are organized in alphabetical order by title in three folders. Most materials contain recipes. Other materials include short written pieces, such as a mini biography of George Washington Carver. Others pamphlets include information on the nutrition of different nuts.
Series XX: Objects includes three items, with one dated 1992. The dated item has food pyramid sticker samples and an order form. The are two pins with one being a food pyramid and the other a fruits and veggies pin.
Series XXI: Outdoor Cooking includes materials dated from 1952 to 1979, with many of the items undated. All materials are organized in alphabetical order by title in two folders. Items include topics such as barbecue, outdoor cooking and eating design ideas, recipes, and outdoor cooking equipment.
Series XXII: Soup includes materials dated from 1981 to 1992, with many items undated. All materials are organized in alphabetical order by title in two folders. Materials include recipes for different types of soups to make for appetizers, main courses, or from pantry items.
Series XXIII: Sugars includes materials dated from 1983 to 2004, with many items undated. All materials are organized in alphabetical order by title. Items include recipes that use sugars, splenda, honey, or corn syrup.
Series XXIV: Vegetables includes materials dated from 1971 to 1981, with many items undated. All materials are organized in alphabetical order by title in two folders. Materials include recipes that use vegetables, with many of them using vegetables as the main component of the recipe.
Dates
- 1939 - 2004
Language of Materials
Majority of materials in this collection are in English. Two items are in Spanish.
Conditions Governing Access
The collection is open for research.
Conditions Governing Reproduction and Use
Items in this collection are largely in the public domain, but individual items may be subject to copyright restrictions. Contact Special Collections and University Archives for assistance in determining the use of these materials.
Reproduction or digitization of materials for personal or research use can be requested using
our reproduction/digitization form: http://bit.ly/scuareproduction. Reproduction or digitization of materials for publication or exhibit use can be requested using our publication/exhibition form:
http://bit.ly/scuapublication.
Please contact Special Collections and University Archives (specref@vt.edu or 540-231-6308) if you need assistance with forms or to submit a completed form.
Extent
2.8 Cubic Feet (2 boxes)
Abstract
This collection includes twenty-four series of culinary ephemera, and they are organized by food and appliance. Items range throughout the twentieth century and into the early twenty-first century, with majority of items undated. Most items are pamphlets that include recipes, health and nutrition guides, short stories, and appliance instructions. Other items include catalogues, newspaper and magazine clippings, stickers, and food pyramid pins. Materials provide insight into consumer culture, technology, and history of gender, race, class, sanitation, marketing, and graphic design.
Arrangement
This collection is arranged by material content and in alphabetical order by title.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
The collection was purchased by Special Collections and University Archives in July 2018.
Separated Materials
This collection also included a more than 100 books, booklets, and other publications. As part of processing, these were removed and cataloged for the Rare Book Collection. Catalog records include the manuscript collection name and number (Elledge Culinary Ephemera Collection, Ms2023-009) and can be located by searching for that phrase.
Rights Statement for Archival Description
The guide to the Elledge Culinary Ephemera Collection by Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech, is licensed under a CC0 (https://creativecommons.org/share-your-work/public-domain/cc0/).
Processing Information
The processing, arrangement, and description of the Elledge Culinary Ephemera Collection was completed in April 2023.
- Title
- Elledge Culinary Ephemera Collection, 1939 - 2004
- Status
- Completed
- Author
- Kaitlynn Harless, Graduate Assistant
- Date
- 2023 (CC0 1.0)
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
Repository Details
Part of the Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech Repository
Special Collections and University Archives, University Libraries (0434)
560 Drillfield Drive
Newman Library, Virginia Tech
Blacksburg Virginia 24061 US
540-231-6308
specref@vt.edu