Original Suffrage Cook Book

Little is known about the woman who compiled the cookbook, and tested the recipes herself, other than that she belonged to the Pittsburgh Equal Franchise Federation, was an ardent supporter of women's right to vote and that she collected most of the recipes from residents of West Pennsylvania.

“It’s a fabulous historical document of its time but also an interesting cook book to boot, interspersed as it is with line drawings and including letters to the editor – or Editress as she is described in the contents section of the book. Recipes aside this is a great gift idea. It’s both practical and fascinating on so many levels and I’ll be trying out more of the recipes over time. A unique way to celebrate the centenary of women getting the vote.” – Frost Magazine; “The recipes in the compilation run the gamut from simple soups to fish (Virginia fried oysters and ‘shrimp wriggle’ both make the cut), meat (the baked ham à la Miller is described as “a dish fit for the greatest epicure”), breads and puddings, the latter section incorporating a series of “admonitions” directed at “those who would excel in cake making”. As the writer Cheryl Robson observes in her endnote, “most of the contributors to this cookbook are long-forgotten but their legacy survives today in the spirit of social activism that inspires others to work for a better, fairer world”. – Town and Country Magazine; “Giving Jamie Oliver and Nigella Lawson a run for their money, the cookbook includes a wide range of soups, salads and casseroles. Drinks also feature, from the “Peppermint Cup” to a wide selection of “Albuminous Beverages” (“When a large amount of nutriment is required the albuminized drinks are valuable. The egg is a fluid food until its albumen is coagulated by heat.”); Kleber, however, writes in her foreword to the book that “as it is a serious matter what is put into the human stomach, I feel it incumbent to say that my readers may safely eat everything set down in this book” She does add that, while she has tested most of the recipes herself, “it being a human Cook Book there will likely be some errors, but as correcting errors is the chief duty and occupation of Suffrage Women, I shall accept gratefully whatever criticisms these good women may have to offer”. – The Guardian.

• INTRODUCTIONEDITRESS' NOTECONTRIBUTORSSOUPSFISH, OYSTERS, ETCMEATS, POULTRY, ETCVEGETABLESSAVORIESBREAD, ROLLS, ETCCAKES, COOKIES, TARTS, ETCPASTRIES, PIES, ETCPUDDINGSSANDWICH RECIPESSALADS, SALAD DRESSINGSCOLOURED SALADSMEAT AND FISH SAUCESEGGSCREAMS, CUSTARDS, ETCPRESERVES, PICKLES, ETCCANDIES, ETCMISCELLANEOUSALBUMINOUS BEVERAGESSTARCHY BEVERAGESTHE COOK SAYSCAKE HINTSECONOMICAL SOAPABOUT THE BOOKABOUT THE CONTRIBUTORSPHOTO CREDITS