Highlights from the collection: corn edition
"Esther eating corn on edge of field, early 1900s." Noble Photograph collection IWA0031
It's corn sweat season here in the Midwest! As we curse the humidity caused by the corn, let's take a minute to also celebrate corn in all it's a-maize-ing glory. Here are a few of our favorite corn items in the collection!
A Treatise on Cobbett's Corn, Containing Instructions for Propagating and Cultivating the Plant, and for Harvesting and Preserving the Crop (1828), William Cobbett.
Printed in 1828, this book by William Cobbett discusses the cultivation of American corn, while also taking a look at American agriculture and customs of the time. What makes this book extra cool is that the first two leaves of the book are printed on corn paper. (Szathmary Collection SB191.M2 C62)
"Wholesome-nutritious foods from corn" (ca. 1918), Lloyd Harrison.
During World War I, the U.S. Food Administration encouraged Americans on the home front to replace wheat products with corn, in order to conserve the more expensive grain for troops abroad.
Szathmary Recipe Pamphlets
βCorn Products Cook Book,β ca. 1910, Emma Churchman Hewitt for Corn Products Refining Company (left). βClinton Corn Starch Recipes,β 1934,
Clinton Corn Processing Company (right).
βEverything You Always Wanted to Know About Sweet Corn,β Purity Supreme, Inc.
These are just a few of many recipe pamphlets in our collections promoting corn and corn products. Take a look at the finding aid here to see more! (MsC1018)
"Iowa Corn Folk, at the Sesqui-Centennial International Exposition in Philadelphia" (1926).
These Corn Folk were created by Bertha Shambaugh for the Iowa Federation of Womenβs Clubs and were chosen to represent Iowa in a doll exhibit at the 1926 Worldβs Fair. We LOVE these photos of a whole run of corn dolls (Shambaugh Family Papers, RG99.0152)
Henry Agard Wallace Papers
Henry A. Wallace with Ears of Corn at Clyde Herring's Garage, Des Moines, Iowa (1920s)
Henry A. Wallace was the 33rd Vice President of the United States, and an important Secretary of Agriculture in U.S. history. Serving under Franklin D. Roosevelt, he was a proponent of the New Deal and progressive agricultural policies aimed at alleviating the farm crisis and rural poverty. He was also a writer, farmer, and businessman, and developed several varieties of hybrid corn. View theΒ finding aid for the Henry Agard Wallace papers online. (MsC0177)
Corn Flyer V. 1 No.1 (1943).
Corn Flyer was a publication of the U.S Naval Air Station in Ottumwa, Iowa, which served as a pilot training base during World War II. Future President Richard M. Nixon was stationed there for nine months, before being shipped out to the South Pacific in May of 1943. Over 4,600 cadets completed flight school at the station, surrounded by Iowa corn fields.Β (x-Collection VG94.5. O66 C6)
Greetings: the State of Iowa Welcomes You (1945).
In this Iowa tourism pamphlet from 1945, potential visitors can marvel at the tallest corn stalk in Iowa recorded at that time. (x-Collection F619.3.S73 1945)
Homecoming Corn Monuments, Frederick W. Kent Photograph Collection, RG30.0001.001
Corn monuments are a long-standing Hawkeye tradition dating back to the early 20th century. Every year, Engineering students design and construct monuments made of corn to be displayed for homecoming.
Check out more by visiting us in person or online at the Iowa Digital Library, InfoHawk+ and ArchiveSpace. Happy rest of your summer!
-Anne M, Olson Graduate Research Assistant
origamiaround
amandla
gracieabrams
germansingergirl
s-u-f-j-a-n-s-t-e-v-e-n-s
