Click on above image for a closer lookie!
What a great find! You can see why my eyes immediately were drawn to this fun booklet from 1963 on yeast baking, as the colors just leaped out at me. Great design on the stylish gal, there, too. (My favorite part, of course.)
I found this gem at a flea market several years ago, in Nashville, I believe. I've since seen another copy of it at another flea market or antique store not too long ago, and....hey, wait a sec -- yeast baking? What the heck? Well, it certainly doesn't sound very appealing, but the products that yeast baking produces look mighty appetizing, if you ask me. Even if they do have this odd, thick black line around the edges. What's up wit that? 
I'm afraid to ask what "ego batter" is. And should ego go with batter in the first place? Must look into it.
"Oh, I'm all mixed-up! Isn't that crazy? I'm all mixed-up and have contorted my body in a way that is not humanly possible! All crazy, mixed-up me!"
Would you want to bake enough of something where they would eventually riot? Gotta think straight here. Or else, you'll find yourself drowning in a sea of fiesty breadrolls. Seriously.
No. Too easy.
Those crazy baking women and their silly gossiping! And their buns! Look at her! On that silly phone and not paying any attention to what she's doing! And again -- with the contorted pose. Girl, you're gonna throw your back out, if you don't watch it.
There you have it. Some fun scans for you all to enjoy. I seriously am digging the letterforms they used for this booklet. All the white letters used for each separate item looked hand-drawn, too, by the way. True testament to the great lettering skills that these guys had. Great stuff.
WHOA! I never knew baking could be so fun! What a fantastic look throughout. Do you happen to know who the artist was? Do you have any oher booklets like this or is this the only one? Where do you keep these treasures in your house? Do you display them on the mantle or do you keep them in a trunk somewhere? Ok, I've asked too many questions...
ReplyDeleteThat gal looks like she's been into the cooking sherry one too many times. And what the heck DOES "ego" have to do with it? You've left me with more questions than answers, my friend...The whole thing made me wanna run screaming from my avacado green kitchen...
ReplyDeleteSo many questions....Well, as typical of the time, no credit was given to the artist or designer of this cooking booklet. Where sometimes an artist will sign his/her name somewhere in the artwork, apparently this was not the case here, as it would've been spotted easily. There was a page that had credits and info on the recipes, complete with a logo for Fleischmann's Yeast & Gold Medal Flour, of which this recipe booklet was advertising for, but there was no mention of who did the artwork. Which is a shame, as I'd love to find more by this artist. And this is the only one I've seen done by this guy, by the way.
ReplyDeleteI have a big collection of assorted ephemera in our attic, where my "office" is, found in various bins, boxes, etc. I don't really know what to do with them, except to sit down and grab a box and sift through them from time to time, for inspiration. But now that I have this blog, I finally have an audience to share these wonderful, yet quirky pieces of artwork with. I do have some pamphlets and books out on display at work, and on my table at home, but nothing too serious. It's rather odd as there's really no perfect way in displaying them.
Don't worry, as I do have more to share.
That is a cool booklet! I love the art style (although I agree the black lines areound the food are strange). The girl is very well drawn and I love her very period outfit!
ReplyDeleteOh, and none of the positions she's sitting in are that hard! They are actually quite comfortable if you are flexible (and it helps to be female for some of them). I sit like that a lot without even thinking about it, which looks like what she is doing! But, yeah, they do look funny.
Anyway, it's a very cool find! Thanks for sharing it!
I think you should tape them to the body of your car. That way the whole world can enjoy them while you run your daily errands.
ReplyDeletethanks jared for asking everything i wanted to know. these are fun ward and look forward to seeing more.
ReplyDeleteyou are a funny, funny man. you know that I have always loved these recipe booklets. the style, the colors, the oddity of 'yeast' baking... all of it brilliant. I would gladly be your yeast girl, if you like.
ReplyDeleteI'm not really sure how to respond to that one, my dear Andrea. It sounds weird.
ReplyDeleteI thought that's why you married me... for my quirky humor...? come on, you know you want a yeast girl with gossipy sweet buns. wait- did this comment just cross the line into a gray and inappropriate area?
ReplyDeleteThe poor illustrator! They didn't write the copy (just doing there job, trying to make sense out of someone's crappy concept). And the writer probably blamed the editor who came up with the silly angle in the first place!
ReplyDeleteThanks for posting this, Ward. Fun!
PS: I think they meant 'eggo', not 'ego'.
Thanks, Paula, I'm glad you liked them!
ReplyDeleteAbout some of the other responses, I feel kinda silly now. I guess I should explain about my running commentary accompanying the images, as some of you thought I was being serious. Actually I love how the girl is posed because it makes for some nice, stylized shapes and silhouettes, especially within the small area provided. The colors are bold and warm, and the thick, black linework offsets that perfectly. I love that they used real photos for the food, along with the black lines. It's a great look.
Sooo, uh, yeah....my comments were meant to state the glaringly obvious, my feeble attempt at being funny -- not offering any real opinions. And now, I've experienced a big rule that my good friend Clay Croker firmly believes in: if you have to explain your joke, then it probably wasn't funny in the first place. Oh well! Me tried.
However, I am glad that you all responded, as it's always great to get feedback!
And Andrea-- yes, it did and that's why I love you.
I Think you're pretty funny myself. The whole idea of a woman straddling a huge dinner roll as an invitation to learn more about "Yeast Baking" is just too hilarious to me...
ReplyDeleteleaped or lept? and is there some baked yeasty goodness to go with it?
ReplyDeletethis takes me back to helping my mom in the kitchen, using the recipies out of her Betty Crocker's Cook Book. We also have the Cookie Book, for the cookie-inclined. All of the colors in the pictures are just slightly off-center out of the lines. When I was very little I used to think that the coloring person wasn't very good at their job. (I couldn't find it, but this has a similar look!)
You can use 'leaped' or 'lept.' I made sure before I posted.
ReplyDeleteAnd I have a copy of the Betty Crocker's Cook Book for Children, from the 50's -- '57 or '58, or something. I tell ya, I'm deep in it.
These illustrations are really great. Something about the style reminds me of illustrations from school textbooks I had in the 1970s - which is something I'd love to see collected on a site somewhere, btw. These food-related illustrations remind me of a couple of great ephemera-collection sites out there:
ReplyDeletehttp://theimaginaryworld.com/page4.html
http://www.ephemeranow.com
Those are sweet! As in cool, man!
ReplyDeleteAlthough I must say that it *is* indeed possible to contort one's body that way--as in illo #3 or so, one leg crossed over the other like that-I do it all the time, no problem-and I'm not even a yoga expert-so give the poor artist some slack, fella! ; )
I was teasing! See earlier comment....and I believe I've seen Mr. Robert Pope do this very same odd pose many a time while waxing poetic about some insanely expensive wine, or cigar, or something like that....
ReplyDeleteThat was as entertaining as ever! And I always thought a well adjusted loaf was my son on the couch! Thanks for that Ward!
ReplyDeleteI'm a little late in commenting on this post, but still, you may enjoy the retro food art (and the hilarious offerings) at The Gallery of Regrettable Food. For a small taste, see this.
ReplyDelete