Home Economics & Food Reform
The home economics movement helped homemakers apply scientific principles to improve conditions in their homes, institutions, and communities. By sharing their knowledge of nutrition and hygiene through outreach programs, home economists had a significant influence on American eating habits in the 20th century. The impact of the movement was strengthened after 1914, when federal funding from the Smith-Lever Act established the Cooperative Extension Service, an educational system designed to enable people to improve their lives and communities through partnerships with experts and institutions. Initially, many women responded skeptically to the new ideas promoted by home economists, particularly since their emphasis on Anglo-Saxon cooking did not reflect the rich culinary traditions of immigrant populations.
Home economists also responded to some of the major national crises of the twentieth century. During the Great Depression, for example, they provided guidance on selecting a healthful diet with limited means. And during the two world wars, they stressed the importance of meat and sugar substitutes, the need for food preservation, and the challenge of maintaining high nutritional standards despite wartime shortages.
Ellen Richards
Ellen Richards, an instructor in sanitary education at MIT and the most prominent female American chemist of the 19th century, used the scientific approach to teach her students and the public about domestic topics. In her 1882 book The Chemistry of Cooking and Cleaning, Richards used her experience operating a Woman’s Laboratory at MIT to advise housewives on the most efficient way to accomplish everyday household chores.
Homemakers & the War Effort
This 1942 Cornell war emergency bulletin entitled Eat Well to Work Well, encouraged people to support Uncle Sam by eating particular foods. Cornell received a letter from the Director of the Office of War, Nutrition Services, requesting that the bulletin be translated into Polish and Italian so that it could be distributed to industrial workers in metropolitan, immigrant communities. The Nation was unified in the war effort, and home economists were ready to do their part.
Home Economists at Work
Because many immigrant working class children were not able to finish public school, the message about nutrition tended to reach middle class children. It was in the college setting that these students learned more about proteins, nutrients, and calories. In this 1917 photo, students in a food laboratory in the home economics building at Cornell are preparing 100-calorie portions of food.
Home Economics & Industry
The home economists’ campaigns went to great lengths to teach the public about nutrition and food safety. However, their public service messages were often adapted and exploited by industry. Issued by the Club Aluminum Company, this booklet describes the health and safety benefits of buying Club Aluminum cooking utensils.