Review: Good Housekeeping Magazine, Volume 1, Issue 1

 

One of the most enduring American women's magazines is Good Housekeeping.  On the front page of the first issue, May 2, 1885, On the front page of the first issue, May 2, 1885, the magazine declares that it is “A Family Journal.  Conducted in the Interests of the Higher Life of the Household.”  The majority of the articles address the overall life of the family with articles on decorating, floor plans for an ideal house, entertaining, health and sickness, raising children, and general advice.  There are nine poems and short stories, mostly focused on the ideal housewife. There just a few articles devoted entirely to food and recipes.

On page nine a short article titled "Kindling Wood" offers short quips of kitchen advice.

“Gastronomic Thoughts and Suggestions, Supplemented with Valuable Tested Recipes” is the first in a series of articles for Good Housekeeping by Maria Parloa, a popular cookbook author and cooking instructor.  Parloa urges her readers to try new dishes to liven up the family’s dinner menus.  Except for the Matelote Sauce, the recipes in this article all seem a bit basic: Tomato Soup, Fried Bread, Boiled Halibut, Salt Fish in Cream, and Lemon Cream Pie.

“The Philosophy of Eating” by Marian S. Devereaux is a long-winded essay on the importance of studying the physical body and nutrition.  It’s followed by a short paragraph on “The Philosophy of Desert.”

“The Wastes of the Household. Watching and Saving the “Left-Overs” is by Christine Terhune Herrick. Although she later became a popular cooking and household advice writer, this was the her first published article.  There are no actual recipes, just suggested ways to use up leftover bits and pieces of food.

The last food-related article “Good Things for the Table,” is probably the most useful for 21st century readers.  In contrast to the rambling, long-winded style used in most of the articles, this article contains concise recipes.  

The subscription for one year of biweekly issues (24 issues) was $2.50, six months (12 issues)  for $1.50, and four months (8 issues) for $1.00.  Those who subscribed for one year or more could select free bonus publications, mostly cookbooks and household management manuals. 

According to a 1960 study by the National Bureau of Economic Research the median annual household income in 1890 was $445.  This subscription price placed this magazine well out of the reach of the working class.