Times were a-changing and things were quickly modernizing. By 1926, many families, especially in the larger towns and cities, had electricity; and, electric refrigerators were quickly replacing the ice boxes which had been considered “modern” earlier in the 20th century.

Frigidaire refrigerators were so popular that people often just referred to their “Frigidaire.”  The use of the term “Frigidaire” to generically refer to any refrigerator continued well into the middle years of the 20th century. I can remember my  mother saying things like, “Get the food out of the Frigidaire.”

It is also fascinating how modern the woman’s outfit looks in the advertisement. Just a few years earlier, her dress would have been much longer and would have covered her ankles.

Source: Ladies Home Journal (May, 1926)

Good to know that 94 out of every 100 husbands supposedly preferred home-canned fruits and vegetables in 1926. And, guess who was going to do the canning . . .

Advertisements from a hundred years ago, such as this Ball Jar advertisement, sometimes portrayed women (and men) in roles that were stereotypical at the time.

In addition to the illustration and the caption in the ad, there was a lot of smaller text, which said in part:

Some women say, “Oh, it is too much trouble to do your own preserving and canning.” But is it? Canning not only means the best preserves at the lowest cost, but the improved methods make it a pleasure.

Millions of women – from their own experience – will tell you that modern methods eliminate drudgery. They make home canning quick and easy. . .

Home preserved fruits and vegetables have that delicious home made taste. An actual investigation showed that 94 out of 100 men preferred fruits and vegetables canned at home. Your husband, undoubtedly, will like them much better, too.

And when you put up your own fruits and vegetables – you know what you are getting. You know they are the finest and choicest. For you choose them yourself. They are pure and safe for your children.  . .

Use the Right Jars

Be sure to get Ball “Perfect Mason” or “Ideal” Fruit Jars. Your grocer has them handily packed by the dozen. They are strong and the sealing shoulder is true. For they are the only jars made by the “Owens Process” – a patented process which absolutely insures an even thickness of glass – this giving strength and durability.

For your own success in canning be sure to get Ball “Perfect Seal” Rubbers and Caps. We urge this because they are especially made to fit Ball Jars. Thus they are air tight and insure a perfect seal. This is the only way you can be sure you are taking no chances.

Ladies Home Journal (May, 1926)

A hundred-year-old issue of American Cookery magazine contained an advertisement for kitchen clocks. To get a clock, people could send $1.50 plus sell seven subscriptions to the magazine, or they could just send $5.25 and not sell any subscriptions. I wonder how many people sold subscriptions to get a clock at a reduced price. I can’t imagine being able to sell subscriptions to seven people.

Actually, I don’t think that I’d purchase one for the full price either. I haven’t had a separate kitchen clock for many years. I just use the ones on my stove and microwave, but, of course, they didn’t yet exist in 1926, so if I went back in time, maybe I’d want one.

The clocks contained pendulums, and needed to be wound every eight days. 1926 was before the era of electric and battery-operated clocks.

According to a 1926 Jell-O advertisement, Jell-O is the most famous American dessert. Really? Was that an accurate statement a hundred years ago? . . . or was it the aspirations of a company advertising a product?

I think that the old ad was referring to the U.S. when the it said “America,” but I’m not sure. Maybe it meant North America or all of the Americas.

Based on an informal survey of two people – my husband and myself – the most famous dessert in the U.S. is apple pie. Of course, it could have been something different a hundred years ago (Jell-O????).

Advertisements in hundred-year-old magazines provide insight into cooking practices and the culture back then. I recently flipped through the October, 1926 issue of American Cookery, and found an advertisement for a Dandy Chopper. Cooks clamped the food choppers onto a table to grind meats and other foods. I flipped a little further and was surprised to find a second advertisement for a food chopper.

At first, I thought that both advertisements were by the same company, but then I realized that one was for the Dandy Chopper, which was made by the New Standard Corporation in Mount Joy, Pennsylvania, while the other was for the Joy Chopper, which was made by the Rollman Manufacturing Company in Mount Joy, Pennsylvania.

What the heck? Was Mount Joy the Silicon Valley of food choppers a hundred years ago?

 

So many companies and products come and go within the course of just a few years, so I’m always amazed when I find an advertisement in a hundred-year-old magazine for a food that is still available.  According to Wikipedia, in the early 1900’s, Richard Hellmann owned a delicatessen in New York City. He made a tasty mayonnaise that he served with the deli foods. It was so popular that he began selling it to other stores, and in 1913 built a factory to produce Hellmann’s Blue Ribbon Mayonnaise.  The company has been sold several times, but Hellmann’s Mayonnaise (now available in several varieties) is still around.

Until I saw this advertisement for Blue Whirl Egg Beaters in a hundred-year-old magazine I’d forgotten all about hand-crank beaters. I think that I once owned one, but have no idea where it is. I haven’t used it in years. The last time I used it was when my children were small and I didn’t trust them to use my electric beaters.

Does anyone still use classic hand-crank beaters? I did a quick online search and hand-crank beaters are still available, but the comments made it sound like they are difficult to find in stores and generally must be purchased online.

According to Home Grail, a commercial-sized electric mixer was invented in 1914, and home stand mixers were starting to become available in the 1920s; however, a hundred years ago, hand-cranked beaters were still  the norm.

Whisks are another tool that can be used to beat eggs and do other tasks that a hand-crank beater might do. According to Wikipedia, whisks have been around for hundreds of years. The earliest ones were just bundles of twigs that were used to beat foods. Wikipedia noted that whisks were not very popular in the early 20th century and that cooks generally preferred beaters, but that they again became popular after Julia Child used them when she appeared on television.