Happy Thanksgiving 2015

 

Happy Thanksgiving.

THANKSGIVNG, THANKSTAKING: FIRST THE LIES, THEN THE STUFFING

 

Jello recipe book, 1924, Lucille Patterson Marsh, illustrator. PSAW ephemera collections

As we spend Thanksgiving Day, each according to their custom or ability, let us remember that the whole Thanksgiving story is a big lie.

I fully intend to enjoy a day of good food and good company, but I do believe Thanksgiving is like Seder in mirror image. Instead of celebrating and retelling the story of escape and freedom, Thanksgiving is a celebration of the lies that covers up the brutal power struggle between Native Americans and European Puritan Christian Fundamentalists.

You probably already knew that Thanksgiving is a politically motivated myth,  but if you want to read more, here is a good essay:

First Genocide, Then Lie About I: Why I Hate Thanksgiving by Mitchel Cohen.

That said, have a wonderful day. The truth will set you free. Ish.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING

JELL-O. Lucille Patterson Marsh. 1924

A JELL-O YEAR WITH LUCILE PATTERSON MARSH

Yippee. New old Jello. Here, from 1924, A Jell-O Year, images by Lucile Patterson Marsh. This booklet has an illustration for each month. The images are a bit clipped at the edge, but if you click on each image it will appear in full.

Jell-O recipe booklet. Lucile Patterson Marsh 1924

 

 

SWIMMING IN JELLO

I now have thirty two jello recipe books. Plus doubles. Yikes! The strange thing is that my Jello mania is a strong as ever. My heart skips a beat when I find a new book, or a better copy of one I already have.

Jello, 1916. PSAW ephemera collections.

I finally got a a good copy of this beauty. Notice how beautifully and delicately rendered the lace is, while the jello-y streaks in the back are so painterly and quick.

 

Jell-0 The Dainty Dessert. Cover.  Not dated. PSAW ephemera collections.

 

Jell-o The Dainty Dessert, back cover. Not dated. PSAW ephemera collections.

 
Jell-o The Dainty Dessert, centerfold. Not dated.PSAW ephemera collections.

Jell-o for  Dessert. Cover. Not dated. PSAW ephemera collections.

Again, the contrast between the delicately rendered figure and the painterly wash background.

Jello For Dessert, Centerfold.Not dated. PSAW ephemera collections.

 

Jell-o Rhymes. Not dated. Illustrations by Lucille Patterson Marsh.PSAW ephemera collections.

Jell-o Rhymes. Illustration by Lucille Patterson Marsh. Not dated. PSAW ephemera collections.

"The factory is light, bright, beautiful; the workers happy, prosperous and content, and the product which they turn out by the tons and dons day after day, never varies in its excellence and purity"

Lucille Patterson Marsh, born in 1890,  was a prolific American 20th Century illustrator. Her clients included Ladie's Home Journal, GE, Cosmopolitan, and later, book illustrations.

Lucille Marsh Patterson, 1931 GE Refrigerator Ad.

Jello Wonder Dishes, 1930. PSAW ephemera collections.

Jell-o  6 delicious  flavors. 1924. Back Cover. PSAW ephemera collections

Jell-o 6 Delicious Flavors. Detail. 1924. PSAW ephemera collections.