18-year-old Helena Muffly wrote exactly 100 years ago today:
Wednesday, November 26, 1913: Ditto
Source: Ladies Home Journal (October, 1913)
Woman’s Work in preparing appetizing and wholesome food is lightened by this famous baking powder.
Light Biscuit
Delicious Cake
Dainty Pastries
Fine Puddings
It adds healthful qualities to food.
ROYAL Baking Powder
Made from pure, grape cream of tartar
Do not use alum baking powders. They may not always be distinguished by their price; but generally, powders that are sold for ten to twenty-five cents a pound, or a cent an ounce, are made from alum. Use in your food only a baking powder whose label shows it is made from cream of tartar.
Royal Baking Powder Co., New York
Her middle-aged granddaughter’s comments 100 years later:
Since Grandma didn’t write much a hundred years ago today, I’ll share a hundred-year-old advertisement for Royal Baking Powder.
On this date, both a hundred years ago and now, kitchens are filled with people baking awesome desserts in preparation for Thanksgiving Day.
I’m on the final countdown getting ready for Thanksgiving. I’m worrying about a lot of things (reminder to self: remember to dust the top shelf of the book-case; some of the guests will be tall)—Do I need to add baking powder to my list of worries?
The line about “women’s work” also grates on me–though I know that women did most of the cooking a hundred years ago.
I also found it intriguing, and it makes me want to do more research on food safety concerns a hundred years ago. . . . hmm, maybe I’ll have to do a future post on this.
I chuckled at your sentence about dusting the top shelf of the bookcase. 🙂 I’m like that about the top of the refrigerator; being “vertically challenged”, I always have to drag a chair over there to stand on to do that!
I have this sudden urge to go read the ingredients on my baking powder!
I suspect the term woman’s work may have been an acknowlegement of the vital role women filled…the term now-a-days has been used in derogatory way… What do you think?
Thanks for letting me know. I could tell that I was getting more than the average number of hits today, but I wasn’t sure why until I got your comment.
It sounds like a single acting baking powder. I think is was around this time that double acting baking powder was manufactured. I think Rumford was the first to make it.
A Hundred Years Ago 
Times sure have changed. The old advertisements are charming if not politically correct. 🙂
Blessings ~ Wendy
Sometimes I wonder which ads today will be politically incorrect a hundred years from now.
i find this blog compelling.
Thank you! I’m glad you enjoy it.
I have a particular interest in diets and cooking over the ages, so this post was intriguing for me. Thanks
I also found it intriguing, and it makes me want to do more research on food safety concerns a hundred years ago. . . . hmm, maybe I’ll have to do a future post on this.
I chuckled at your sentence about dusting the top shelf of the bookcase. 🙂 I’m like that about the top of the refrigerator; being “vertically challenged”, I always have to drag a chair over there to stand on to do that!
We’re thinking alike. I cleaned the top of the refrigerator last Saturday. 🙂
Women’s Work…..poor men with cooking desires! ;0)
Times sure have changed.
I have this sudden urge to go read the ingredients on my baking powder!
I suspect the term woman’s work may have been an acknowlegement of the vital role women filled…the term now-a-days has been used in derogatory way… What do you think?
I agree, one of the most important jobs, then and now, is to prepare good food.
I like the way you put it–preparing good food is a very important job.
Congratulations, Sheryl. Your blog has been mentioned on WordPress.com. Way to go!
Thanks for letting me know. I could tell that I was getting more than the average number of hits today, but I wasn’t sure why until I got your comment.
Note to other readers–This blog was mentioned in a WordPress.com “From Our Blogs” story called:
Handwritten Stories in a Digital Age: PostSecret.com and More
.
Great to see the reference to your blog in the above link. Your father would be even more amazed 🙂
It sounds like a single acting baking powder. I think is was around this time that double acting baking powder was manufactured. I think Rumford was the first to make it.